Both companies will start delivering an end to end 5G fixed wireless service to pilot customers in five US cities in the second quarter
Mobile World Congress, Barcelona: Samsung Electronics America and Verizon have announced they have completed deployment of 5G systems in five US cities in preparation to begin customer trials of 5G technology. The customer trials, beginning in April, will deliver fixed wireless access to customers through 5G connectivity in order to gauge user experiences, evaluate the performance of 5G technologies, and help streamline the delivery of mmWave 5G across various environments.
The 5G trials involve innovative network systems, including the use of 28GHz millimetre wave spectrum and advanced beamforming antenna technology. Samsung’s 5G Access Units, installed throughout a city’s business and residential neighbourhoods, will link radio signals to a virtualised core network that is set up within Verizon’s data centres. Samsung’s next generation core solution is software-driven and designed on a scalable platform to accommodate operator needs.
During pre-commercial testing, which started in early December last year, the 5G system demonstrated multi-gigabit throughputs at radio distances of up to 1,500 feet (500 metres) across each of the different environments selected for the customer trials. The Samsung 5G system is designed to be upgradable to support 3GPP standards for new radio and next generation core, once available.
Samsung and Verizon 5G customer trials will begin in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas and Washington, D.C., with a fifth location in Michigan starting trials in the second quarter 2017. The locations represent varying terrain, neighbourhood layouts and population density. Joint trials will incorporate Samsung’s pre-commercial 5G solution featuring a customer premise equipment, window antenna as well as its 5G radio and core solutions. Verizon will include fixed wireless network service that provides wireless Internet access and Voice over IP (VoIP) calling.
“We are excited to deliver the first end to end 5G connectivity in the US with Verizon,” said Youngky Kim, president and head of networks business at Samsung Electronics. “This represents a major leap forward in offering 5G fixed wireless access to consumers. The 5G challenges we will address, and the customer feedback we receive will help lay the foundation for future business models and customer applications.”
Added Roger Gurnani, executive VP and chief information and technology architect, Verizon: “We are pleased about the progress made with partners like Samsung on advancing 5G technology commercially. Delivering 5G to these pilot customers is an important step in assessing the business model and customer experience for delivering wireless broadband via 5G. Samsung’s early and extensive development in 5G has been very valuable in contributing to Verizon’s 5G Technology Forum progress.”
