The big four aren’t the only U.S. wireless carriers prepping for 5G.
C Spire this week said it recently partnered with Nokia to complete a success 5G fixed wireless trial in Mississippi as part of an effort to ramp up its 5G preparations.
According to C Spire, the test utilized Nokia equipment and a direct connection to C Spire’s fiber-based commercial television service. The test, which delivered C Spire Fiber consumer TV content including ultra-high definition video, achieved speeds of up to 2.2 Gbps and latency below 1.4 milliseconds.
Though C Spire did not provide further details of the trial, an experimental application Nokia filed with the FCC indicates the test may have utilized spectrum in the 68 GHz to 76 GHz range.
C Spire CTO Stephen Bye said the demonstration represented “the kind of real-world application that will help change forever how we live, work and play.”
C Spire, which is the nation’s sixth largest wireless carrier, said it plans to conduct additional real-world 5G trials on its 28 GHz spectrum in the second half of this year and into the middle of next year. C Spire did not specify who it will partner with on the upcoming trials.
The carrier’s 5G trials come on the heels of the FCC’s recent passage of new rules opening up nearly 11 GHz of high-frequency spectrum for 5G, including 3.85 GHz of licensed spectrum on the 28 GHz, 37 GHz and 39 GHz bands and 7 GHz of unlicensed spectrum from 64-71 GHz.
In addition to working with C Spire, Nokia has also teamed up with Sprint to conduct field trials, most recently holding demonstrations of 5G technology at the 2016 Copa America soccer tournament. As with C Spire, Nokia’s Sprint demonstration utilized equipment operating on spectrum in the 68 GHz to 76 GHz range. Sprint’s trial, which honed in on 73 GHz, achieved speeds of 2.3 gbps streaming live 4k video.
