Although the 3GPP is still working on specifications related to 5G technology, millimeter wave transmission has emerged as a core tenet given the high-capacity capabilities of the high-band spectrum. In Canada, carrier Telus is working with Huawei on 5G development, last year announcing a 29.3 Gbps transmission.
Continuing the joint work at so-called 5G Living Lab, the partners most recently shared some details of a successful test of fixed wireless access 5G, which the companies referred to as wireless-to-the-premise (WttP). In the U.S., Verizon and AT&T are both working on fixed wireless access 5G, which is seen as the likely first phase of 5G. Millimeter waves come with challenging propagation characteristics, particularly in a mobile environment. Fixed wireless 5G is seen as a route to deliver a commercial 5G service while solving for the last mile problem of expensive fiber builds.
Huawei Wireless CTO Wen Tong, who is based at the ICT company’s Canada Research Center in Ottawa, said these tests are “an important step forward in aligning our research efforts in 3GPP 5G standard with the practical application for building and deploying 3GPP unified 5G networks around the world.”
Telus has about nine million wireless subscribers and is a network partner with Bell Canada, itself involved in research and development around 5G. Last year Bell Canada worked with Nokia to conduct a demonstration in Mississauga, Ontario, using spectrum in the 73 GHz band to achieve “sustained data speeds more than six-times faster than top 4G mobile speeds now available in Canada,” according to the companies.
“We are extremely proud that Canadian-led talent and expertise is at the forefront of global 5G research and technology deployment. This is an incredibly rewarding accomplishment for our joint TELUS and Huawei teams who have worked hard to bring truly state-of-the-art technologies to life,” said Eros Spadotto, Executive Vice-president of TechnologyStrategy. “These advancements will help TELUS drive industry partnerships, develop yet-to-be-invented 5G applications and advance the 5G ecosystem with the ultimate goal of enabling future capabilities that will dramatically improve the lives of Canadians in our ever-changing digital society.”
