Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Ericsson launches DSS
Ericsson announced that its Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) solution is commercially available, stating that the new technology is already live in a number of 5G networks around the world. Ericsson said that its spectrum sharing solution allows both 4G and 5G technologies to be deployed in the same band and on the same radio through a software upgrade – dynamically allocating spectrum based on user demand on a 1 millisecond basis. Ericsson also noted that dynamic spectrum sharing is the most economically feasible way to deploy 5G on existing bands – enabling wide 5G coverage from day one – making more efficient use of spectrum and delivering superior user performance. “For the first time, our customers do not have to re-farm spectrum before deploying a new ‘G’ and can quickly get 5G on the same footprint as they have with 4G today. … Read more
Huawei lays out plans for factory in France
Chinese vendor Huawei has announced that it will build a new wireless communications product factory in France. In a release, the company said that the new automated and intelligent facility will specialize in 4G and 5G equipment, and will primarily manufacture supplies for the vendor’s European customers. Huawei highlighted that it had selected France for this new manufacturing facility due to the country’s mature industrial infrastructure, its highly educated labor force and its geographic position. “This manufacturing plant will add to Huawei’s integrated value chain within Europe, improving the timeliness and reliability of Huawei’s deliveries to European customers,” Huawei said in a statement. The company noted that the new smart factory will require an overall investment of 200 million euros ($220 million). … Read more
US Cellular launches 5G in Racine, WI
In October, US Cellular announced plans to rollout 5G technology for customers in Iowa and Wisconsin in the first quarter of 2020, and now, as Spring fast approaches, the operator has provided Racine, Wisconsin with a 5G network. Racine was named a ‘Smart City’ last summer—the smallest city to receive the honor—which was undoubatavly a motivation behind US Cellular’s decision to begin its 5G rollout there. When the operator first revealed its intention to begin 5G operations in Wisconsin, it also stated that the initial 5G deployment will rely on its 600 MHz spectrum and would represent the first phase of a multi-year network expansion for its next-gen network. “Iowa and Wisconsin are two of our largest markets and we’re excited to introduce 5G technology to customers in both urban and rural communities where other carriers have not,” said Michael Irizarry, executive vice president and chief technology officer of US Cellular. “Broader 5G coverage will provide our customers with even faster data connection speeds for a better experience when they do the things they love on their devices.” … Read more
Bringing 5G indoors
Because 5G’s mind-boggling speeds rely on high-frequency millimeter-wave spectrum—which doesn’t penetrate well—indoor deployment continues to be a big problem for network growth, and according to Corning, only 10% of buildings in the U.S. currently utilize a dedicated indoor solution for 5G. To address these challenges, the technology company is working with Qualcomm to develop 5G mmWave infrastructure specifically for large indoor spaces, because as Corning’s VP of Wireless Solutions Michelle Engarto said, we can’t continue to close the door on 5G. “It’s only natural that carriers are going to want to bring [5G] cellular signals indoors,” she explained to RCR Wireless News. “We should not expect 5G to stop at the door of a building, particularly because 80% of calls are initiated indoors.” And it’s not just phone calls. Engarto said that Corning wants to provide this solution because the number of applications that require high-speed, massive bandwidth and slow latency is only on the rise. … Read more
Cradlepoint talks 5G for business
Cradlepoint wants to “set the bar on what a 5G for business solution looks like,” according to CMO Todd Krautkremer, and the company has scored Australia’s Telstra as its launch partner for a new portfolio of 5G connectivity solutions aimed at the enterprise market. Customer trials are set to start in April, with Telstra utilizing Cradlepoint’s new W2000 Series 5G wireless adapters and its NetCloud management service. The W2000 is the sub-6 GHz version of the product, which offers both indoor and rugged outdoor hardware units; in addition to Telstra, Cradlepoint said that it expects W2000 trials with additional, unnamed operators to begin in mid-2020. The W4000, which supports 5G at millimeter-wave spectrum and solves indoor-penetration issues via a rugged outdoor unit that can be directionally mounted to provide a link with the nearest mmWave cell site, is slated to become available in the third quarter of this year. Cradlepoint also has plans for a “field-upgradable pathway to 5G” via a 5G modular modem for existing Cradlepoint 5G Ready dual-mode routers. That modular modem is expected to make its debut later this year. Cradlepoint says the new portfolio provides “a graceful pathway to 5G” for fixed wireless business networks; it is meant to enable carriers to rapidly put 5G enterprise-specific solutions in-market, at a point in 5G product development when enterprise-specific offerings are still rare. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
