Distinct strategies amongst carriers are emerging as operators rush to roll out 5G in the US.

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

September 19, 2018

4 Min Read
5G in the USA: A Post-MWCA Update

Following Mobile World Congress Americas last week, a clearer picture of how early 5G in the US will evolve has emerged, especially now that Verizon's fixed "5G Home" service is due this October.

Basically, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) will start with its fixed, millimeter wave (mmWave) non-standard 5G next month. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is going mobile with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, 5G NR, later this year. Both operators will go for 5G speed over range with mmWave. (See Millimeter Wave 5G: The Usain Bolt of Wireless?)

Meanwhile, Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) and T-Mobile US Inc. are going for range over maximum speed. More frequencies to deploy 5G will emerge for the pair, if the proposed $26.5 billion merger is approved. (See Piecing Together the 5G Big Picture and FCC Halts Sprint/T-Mobile M&A Review.)

Join Light Reading in investigating the transport and networking requirements of 5G as US operators move towards commercial launch. Register today for 5G Transport & Networking Strategies in New York on October 9. Register now for this exclusive opportunity to learn from and network with industry experts – communications service providers get in free!

So let's take a look at the newest map and the stats:

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)
What: Mobile 5G using the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) standard.
Where: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Oklahoma City, Orlando, New Orleans, Raleigh, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Waco.
When: Late 2018-2019.
Frequencies: Millimeter wave.
Suppliers (known so far): Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung.
Devices: A mobile "puck" 5G "hotspot."
Anticipated download speeds: 1 Gbit/s (fixed, per trials).
Capex plan for 2018:$22 billion (anticipated).

For more:

Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S)
What: Mobile 5G using the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) standard.
Where: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.
When: First half of 2019.
Frequencies: 2.5GHz.
Suppliers (known so far): Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, Qualcomm.
Devices: Smartphones.
Anticipated download speeds: 250-300 Mbit/s (mobile).
Capex plan for 2018: $5-6 billion.

For more:

T-Mobile US Inc.
What: Mobile 5G using the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) standard.
Where: Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City and 26 other cities.
When: 2019-2020.
Frequencies: 600MHz, 28GHz, 39GHz.
Suppliers (known so far): Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm.
Devices: Smartphones.
Anticipated download speeds: 100-200 Mbit/s (mobile).
Capex plan for 2018: $4.9-5.3 billion.

For more:

Verizon Wireless
What: Fixed 5G using its home-grown 5GTF spec first, with mobile 5G using the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) standard in early 2019.
Where: Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento.
When: Second half of 2018.
Frequencies: 28GHz.
Suppliers (known so far): Ericsson, Samsung, Qualcomm.
Devices: 5G customer premises equipment and home routers, smartphones (with mobile 5G).
Anticipated download speeds: 300 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s (fixed).
Capex plan for 2018: $17-17.8 billion.

For more:

What does this mean in the real world?
Even as 5G arrives in the US, 2019 will be the real foundation year for 5G stateside, as operators try to deliver in early markets, and establish revenue models for the new network technology.

— 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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