Panel discussion involving carrier network execs from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular digs into 5G standards, spectrum challenges and software
LAS VEGAS – Few events at this week’s CTIA Super Mobility show allowed for greater insight into current mobile network operations than a panel hosted by CTIA’s SVP and CTO Tom Sawanobori, and featuring network-focused carrier execs from the country’s five largest facilities-based operators.
The conversation touched on numerous topics currently impacting the ability for operators stay on top of growing consumer demand for data services, including the exceedingly broad reach the industry is looking to go in terms of spectrum resources to support “5G” technology plans.
While there has been considerable attention placed on the use of so-called millimeter wave spectrum bands to provide the capacity needed for next-generation networks, carriers are still trying to work through just how exactly they will implement networks using bands that have historically been considered outside the range of use for commercial wireless services.
Thomas Keathley, SVP of wireless network architecture and design at AT&T, noting potential performance degradation issues connected with using the millimeter wave spectrum bands expected to be central to 5G networks.
“If you put a hand in front of a transmitter you will see degradation of performance,” the AT&T exec explained. “It’s going to be a very different implementation than traditional cellular networks.”
Adam Koeppe, VP of access technology planning at Verizon Communications, noted that indeed propagation characteristics of high-band spectrum will be a challenge, those “issues are not anything news.” Instead he noted what is different is the use of beamforming and beamtracking technology that allows the use of those bands in access-type deployments.
“Our trials have been to take those out of the lab and into real world scenarios,” Koeppe said of the carrier’s 5G network trials.
Verizon first announced its intention to begin those trials at last year’s CTIA event, which has seen the carrier since witness short-range network speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.
While it has also been participating in the recent spat of 5G network trials, Sprint downplayed numbers-based performance and instead said consumers are not interested in which “G” they were experiencing, and instead just wanted a great experience.
“Latency is hard to explain to people, but is very important,” said Ron Marquardt, VP of technology innovation and architecture at Sprint, on the carrier’s recent 5G trials. “We tried to show that issue, but it didn’t really gel with people.”
Michael Irizarry, EVP and CTO at regional wireless carrier U.S. Cellular, said it planned to begin its first 5G network trial next week using spectrum in the 28 GHz band, moving to a trial using spectrum in the 15 GHz later this year and the potential for a third trial by the end of the year. Irizarry said the carrier planned to do a lot of work on propagation characteristics, with a strong focus on understanding what services work best on which bands.
Software solutions based on network functions virtualization and software-defined networking were also noted as “critical and table steaks” by Keathley in terms of the industry’s migration to 5G and growing support for the “internet of things.” The AT&T exec cited the ability to support network slicing as a key benefit of a virtualization platform, and noted AT&T was currently supporting several million mobile customers using a virtual core that will also go into its 5G plans.
One challenge that still remains to be settled in terms of 5G plans is the need of a new air interface. It appeared the dominant opinion is that 5G deployments using spectrum below 6 GHz will likely continue to rely on current OFDM-based methods used for LTE, though higher spectrum bands could rely on a new model.
Karri Kuoppamaki, VP of network technology, development and strategy at T-Mobile US, said OFDM looks set to be the base air interface model, but that it “might not be the best for IoT down the road.”
With the first phase of standards work expected to be completed no later than mid-2018, operators will soon be able to begin tapping into what’s being learned today in order to support consumer demands tomorrow.
Bored? Why not follow me on Twitter
