5G demo slated for 15 GHz range
Ericsson, in a recent filing with the Federal Communications Commission, is seeking special temporary authority to conduct a “5G” demo for T-Mobile US at the carrier’s Bellevue, Washington, headquarters.
According to the document, Ericsson plans to use one base station and one piece of user equipment to carry out the 5G demo, which is slated for sometime between Aug. 10 and Oct. 10.
“The demo will last only two days, but we are seeking authorization for 60 days because the dates may be shifted at the last moment due to customer business needs,” Ericsson wrote to the FCC. “We are seeking to demo 5G to T-Mobile. … Ericsson is requesting to operate on the government spectrum bands only because this phase of our 5G research was designed in Sweden to operate on these bands. We have no plans to request that this spectrum be repurposed for commercial use.”
Specifically, Ericsson needs the FCC’s permission to run the 5G demo in the 14.7-15.5 GHz bands for the indoor demonstration.
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T-Mobile US is working with both Ericsson and Nokia on its 5G development. Earlier this year, T-Mobile US filed applications with the FCC to conduct tests in the 28 GHz and 39 GHz bands around its headquarters.
In the fillings, T-Mobile US said it’s looking to conduct “tests of 5G technology in the millimeter wave bands, which may play an important role in meeting the increasing demand for data-intensive applications.”
The tests are set at four locations, beginning with an indoor trial at the carrier’s test facility to “better understand the characteristics of millimeter wave transmissions for indoor 5G communications.” The carrier is also looking to tap the spectrum for a pair of outdoor tests to gain insight into signal propagation between buildings to help with network design. T-Mobile US said the outdoor tests will use fixed transmitters and mobile devices at a maximum range of 1.2 miles.