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 those sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Rogers rolls out midband 5G
Canadian telco Rogers Communications this week announced the deployment of 5G midband spectrum to complement its nationwide coverage. Rogers said it activated 3500 MHz coverage on its 5G network, beginning with Nanaimo, British Columbia. The midband coverage activation will continue in urban areas including Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. Rogers said it will activate other regions according to the timetable established by the Canadian government. Rogers claims first mover advantage for the Canadian telco market as the first company to activate 3500 5G spectrum, just as the operator did in October 2021 when it announced nationwide deployment of its 5G Standalone (SA) network. Combined, the two capabilities unlock future 5G use cases for Rogers like edge computing and network slicing, private networks and ultra-low latency IoT. The Canadian telco noted that midband coverage provides additional network capacity, will help boost customer data transfer speeds and delivers ultra-low latency communication. … Read more
Bell Canada touts midband ‘5G+’
Canadian operator Bell will begin rolling out its “next evolution of 5G,” which it is branding as 5G+ and refers to the 3500 MHz wireless spectrum that the operator secured last year for $2.07 billion. When Bell purchased the spectrum, the operator’s Chief Technology Officer Stephen Howe commented: “With our strong 3500 MHz spectrum position, we’re ready to take the country’s top-ranked 5G service even further, leveraging the full capabilities of the technology to help bridge the digital divide with enhanced broadband access for more rural and remote communities.” Now, Bell claims that 5G+ is “optimized for demanding apps and services” making it “the fastest mobile technology yet in Canada.” … Read more
Telus turns up midband 5G, too
Canadian carrier Telus said it is deploying new 3.5 GHz spectrum on its existing 5G wireless network to provide enhanced capacity, low latency and faster speeds to its customers in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Victoria. Telus said that this deployment is part of its larger CAD220 billion ($169.2 billion) investment in network infrastructure and operations in Canada since 2000. The telco said it expects to continue to deploy its new spectrum through 2022 and 2023 to other regions across the country. Telus noted that its 3.5 GHz spectrum will enable multi-access edge computing (MEC) and Internet of Things (IoT) technology, while powering important advances in health, agriculture, energy, transportation, and manufacturing. “Telus is committed to driving Canada’s economy forward through world-class broadband infrastructure. Our significant investments in Telus’ 5G wireless network will help solve some of society’s most pressing challenges in education, food security and climate change,” said Tony Geheran, EVP and COO at Telus. “The deployment of our [3.5 GHz] spectrum is an important step to unlocking the potential of 5G, particularly as it fuels innovation across different industries. We believe that Canada should follow international best practices to ensure enough spectrum is available as quickly and affordably as possible so that all Canadians’ have access to the social, environmental and economic benefits that 5G brings, which is why we continue to advocate for responsible, strategic and predictable regulatory policy as a critical opportunity to drive timely and ubiquitous availability of 5G.” … Read more
Google Cloud targets private 5G
Google Cloud has followed hyperscale mega-rivals Microsoft and AWS into the private 5G market with a bunch of specialist vendor and channel partners, starting with Betacom, Boingo Wireless, Celona, Crown Castle, and Kajeet. It said it is offering “turn-key” private 5G with the option to run network management, control, and user plane functions in the cloud-cloud and the edge-cloud on site. It said its recent headline deals with operators will offer enterprises a way to roam beyond their on-premise private 5G setups, and also afford remote control over sundry edge functions. Interestingly, press statements from its two new vendor partners suggested, at a glance, Celona has been pegged for deployments in smart buildings and real estate, and Kajeet is being directed towards school placements, both with CBRS spectrum provision in the US. Meanwhile, a note from Betacom, which handles network design and service in public macro and private micro networks, and prefers a familiar Airspan-and-Druid two-hander for radio (RAN) and core network provision, put emphasis on the Industry 4.0 space, implying it has been primed within the new Google Cloud camp to go after smart factories and the like. Lines are blurred of course; the Celona announcement only majors on a big real-estate install. … Read more
Dish hits 20% coverage milestone
“Will they or won’t they?” has been a near-constant water cooler question in telecom for months: Will Dish Wireless be able to meet the deadline imposed by the Federal Communications Commission, to offer service to 20% of the population by June 14, 2022? Contradictory rumors confirming Dish’s imminent success or failure published on the day. But before the market opened on Wednesday, Dish confirmed that it indeed has met the FCC deadline, reaching more than 20% of the U.S. with its new 5G service by June 14th. By this time next month, Dish will have filed its buildout report with the FCC, so we’ll have to wait until then for more granularity. For now, though, Dish seems happy to take the win. “As of June 14, Dish is offering 5G broadband service to over 20 percent of the U.S. population. This marks a major milestone in building the world’s most advanced cloud-native 5G Open RAN network, as Dish continues to change the way the world communicates,” said the company in a statement. Dave Mayo, Dish Wireless executive vice president of Network Development, offered thanks to numerous Dish partners in announcing the milestone. He thanked AWS, Cisco, CommScope, Dell, Fujitsu, Intel, JMA, Mavenir, Nokia, Oracle, Palo Alto, Qualcomm, Samsung and VMware, adding, “We’re the only major network in the world built primarily with American vendors.” Dish Wireless’s deployment got off to a rocky start. Company chairman Charlie Ergen told investors earlier this year that the company’s greenfield 5G network deployment was six months behind schedule. … Read more
More C-Band spectrum use to be phased in
Verizon, AT&T, aviation industry players and federal regulators say they have come up with a series of steps that will balance continued protection of aircraft radio altimeters from potential interference by terrestrial 5G C-Band operations, but allow the carriers to phase in expanded use of their C-Band spectrum near airports. “We believe we have identified a path that will continue to enable aviation and 5G C-band wireless to safely co-exist,” said Acting Federal Aviation AdministrationAdministrator Billy Nolen. “We appreciate the willingness of Verizon and AT&T to continue this important and productive collaboration with the aviation industry.” Craig Silliman, EVP and chief administrative officer for Verizon, said in a statement that the various stakeholders have come to an agreement that provides “a path forward that will enable Verizon to make full use of our C-Band spectrum for 5G around airports on an accelerated and defined schedule. Under this agreement reached with the FAA, we will lift the voluntary limitations on our 5G network deployment around airports in a staged approach over the coming months meaning even more consumers and businesses will benefit from the tremendous capabilities of 5G technology. This progress is the result of months of close collaboration with the FAA, FCC and aviation industry, and sets the stage for continued, robust 5G deployment.” Verizon and AT&T had delayed their initial C-Band turn-up after the FAA and aviation industry players indicated concerns about the impact that terrestrial 5G operations in the band might have on radio altimeters, which determine an aircraft’s height above the ground and are particularly crucial in low-visibility situations. … Read more
UScellular, Ericsson test 5G at altitude
US Cellular and Ericsson have begun testing the performance of the carrier’s 5G network at altitude using drone technology. The trials, which were supported by the Ericsson Connected Drone Testing and Ericsson Device Analytics, involved flying a drone outfitted with a 5G smartphone and RF measurement equipment between two of US Cellular’s commercial 5G towers in Beloit, Wisconsin. The goal was to obtain and analyze 5G network connectivity and speed data in the air, compare it to results captured on ground level and “ultimately understand what is required for the future use and success of 5G connected drones.” Once in the sky, the equipment attached to the drone gathered performance metrics such as signal strength and quality, upload and download speeds and latency throughout at various altitudes. This data was gathered using both low and high band spectrum, said the companies. “Testing our wireless connections at altitude can set the stage for future connectivity of drones in the air, providing command and control capability along with enabling real-time image and data sharing to be easier, faster and safer,” said Narothum Saxena, vice president of technology strategy and architecture at US Cellular. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
