Verizon and Nokia notched another 5G first this week, announcing the successful completion of an over-the-air, end-to-end data transmission on a commercial 3GPP 5G NR network over commercially deployed Nokia radio equipment.
The signal was sent over Verizon’s millimeter wave spectrum in the 28 GHz band and 5G network core to a Nokia test van parked in downtown Washington D.C.
The latest achievement is part of the two companies’ ongoing 5G NR demos as they prepare for commercial launches of mobile 5G services in 2019. In August, the pair achieved the first successful hand-off of a 5G NR signal to a receiver in a vehicle moving between two radio sectors. Earlier in the summer, Nokia and Verizon wrapped up a series of outdoor data sessions over the 5G NR standard and performed successful multi-carrier aggregation to lift those signals into gigabit speed range.
In February, Verizon completed the first standards-based over-the-air call on licensed mmWave spectrum.
“The cadence and frequency of these significant milestone achievements from Verizon and Nokia show just how quickly we’re taking the promise of 5G technology from the lab to the field and to the marketplace where our customers will ultimately use this revolutionary technology,” says Bill Stone, vice president of Technology Development and Planning for Verizon, in a statement. “We said Verizon will be first to 5G, and our latest milestone moves us closer to fulfilling that promise.”
Verizon has named Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento as the first markets where it will over its fixed wireless 5G in-home broadband service, with mobile 5G to follow in early 2019.
Filed Under: Carriers
