Ericsson and Intel last week said the pair achieved the first 3GPP NR 5G-compliant live data call over the 39 GHz band.

The trial was conducted in labs in Kista, Sweden and Santa Clara, Calif., using Intel’s RF mm-Wave chip and Ericsson Radio System commercial equipment, including the 5G NR radio AIR 5331, baseband, and Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform.

In July, the companies performed 3GPP NR-compliant calls at 3.5 GHz alongside Telstra.

“This live 5G demonstration on the 39 GHz band signifies how close 5G commercial services are to reality in North America,” Asha Keddy, VP of next generation standards at Intel, says in a statement. “Using the Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform configured with a 39 GHz RF chip/antenna, we successfully demonstrated a 3GPP-compliant data call performed connecting to an Ericsson commercial 5G g-NB base station, an important step in ensuring our commercial platforms are field ready for deployment in 2019.”

The FCC is looking to hold a single auction to open up spectrum in the 39 GHz band, along with the 37 GHz and 47 GHz bands. The dates of that auction are not set, but will come after millimeter wave spectrum auctions for 28 GHz and 24 GHz licenses, which are slated to begin in November.

“Completing this end-to-end data call on 39 GHz with Intel shows our commitment to realizing 5G in different spectrum bands,” says Fredrik Jejdling, EVP and head of Business Area Networks at Ericsson. “In July we did it on 3.5 GHz and now on 39 GHz, which will smoothen the path to 5G for our customers. Using commercial 5G radios for this multivendor interoperability milestone shows our progress towards making 5G a commercial reality.”

In August, Ericsson announced the company is boosting 5G investments in the U.S., with plans to open a new R&D center and produce 5G radios in the country later this year.