Verizon appears to be edging closer to its dream of delivering a wireless alternative to fiber.

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

February 23, 2017

2 Min Read
Verizon Fixed 5G Tests to Top 3Gbit/s?

Verizon's home-rolled fixed wireless 5G radio spec could deliver speeds of greater than 3 gigabits per second to some lucky customers in 11 US cities during tests in the first half of this year.

The "pre-commercial select customer" trials will see Verizon deploy millimeter wave customer premise equipment (CPE) -- essentially a home router with an antenna that connects to pole-mounted radios. A video posted by Verizon says that CPE tests have achieved download speeds of around 3.6Gbit/s.

Verizon will begin offering the fixed service to pilot customers during the first half of 2017 in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Atlanta; Bernardsville, N.J.; Brockton, Mass.; Dallas; Denver; Houston; Miami; Sacramento; Seattle; and Washington, D.C. It is not yet clear how big the test sites will be, but Verizon has previously said it wants to test a variety of suburban and urban environments.

Ericsson AB and Samsung Corp. are test partners, roughly splitting the 11 cities between them. The tests are all taking place on 28GHz spectrum.

For all the latest news on 5G, visit the 5G site here on Light Reading.

Of course, lab trials usually deliver higher download speeds than field trials with customers. But Verizon will be learning lessons that could see it deliver an ultra-fast fixed wireless service commercially in 2018 or 2019.

As I reported back in 2015, this has been Verizon's initial goal with 5G since it got involved with the technology. The idea being that Big Red might be able to leverage 5G to get rid of more of its costly old copper connections. That seems like a distinct possibility with the regulatory-lite atmosphere of the Trump administration. (See 5G: Verizon's New Home Invasion? and Trump & Tech: Round 1.)

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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