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5G

Verizon Could Take Fixed 5G Nationwide

News Analysis Dan Jones, Mobile Editor 6/1/2016

Verizon's CEO says that the sky is the limit for using 5G to customers' homes, as long as it has access to fiber.

Speaking last week at the J.P. Morgan Global, Technology & Media Conference, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) CEO Lowell McAdam said that the operator sees 5G as a potential cable/DSL replacement for delivering high-speed data to the home. The operator, he says, has now tested its initial 28GHz set-up at 1.8 Gbit/s in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. (See Verizon Hits 1-Gig+ in 5G Trials, Eyes Early Applications.)

Verizon plans a fixed wireless pilot in 2017 but McAdam envisages a broader deployment in the US over time. "I don't know why there would be any limitation on where we would take it," McAdam says. (See Verizon Will Pilot 5G Fixed Wireless in 2017.)

Essentially, what the operator needs is enough fiber close enough to the 5G radios to make it viable, McAdam noted. "Close is to be defined."

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

"That's why we bought XO Communications," he added. "Because they have 45 of the top 50 markets they have metro fiber rings that gives you the ability to be out into those markets and then you just run your extensions off of them." (See Verizon Bags XO for $1.8B.)

Of course, if you're a regular reader you'll know that Verizon has been hot on the idea of 5G for fast fixed wireless for a while. (See 5G: Verizon's New Home Invasion?)

5G as a mobile standard is probably more of a 2020 proposition, McAdam noted.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

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TV Monitor 6/3/2016 | 8:22:24 AM

Re: wireless vs wire line? brooks7

"So, now I have to go deploy a new set of antennas to get this to work and those antennas are not expected for at least 4 more years (outside of a prototype)?"

Those advanced antennas are already small enough to be fitted inside a smart phone.

"And how many basestations would I need to get the equivalent of the 32:1 split that I get on GPON?"

It depends on how may user terminals the base station supports simultanously. I have no information on that.

But Verizon would be able to support both fix and mobile 5G customers with single 5G basestation deployment at a 4 km interval.

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brooks7 6/3/2016 | 1:55:11 AM

Re: wireless vs wire line? Wait wait wait.

So, now I have to go deploy a new set of antennas to get this to work and those antennas are not expected for at least 4 more years (outside of a prototype)?

What happened to Verizon's promise to do it next year?

And how many basestations would I need to get the equivalent of the 32:1 split that I get on GPON? (So I need sustained 800Mb/s downstream + sustained 400Mb/s upstream - sustained means continuous - not burst). As that is the competition.

And remember you are doing this to get to #3 in those markets.

seven

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TV Monitor 6/3/2016 | 1:12:55 AM

Re: wireless vs wire line? brooks7

"how far can service operate? 1km? 2 km?"

Samsung 28 Ghz 5G reaches upto 2 km in full power mode. Samsung 28 Ghz 5G reached 1 km in depowered mode when tested by Verizon.

As for others, these are the numbers I have seen from various tests.

Ericsson 15 Ghz 5G : 100 m
Nokia 15 Ghz 5G : 100 m
Mitsubish 40 Ghz 5G : 10 m

In case you are wondering why Samsung 5G can reach so far away and at vehicles cruising at 70 mph while others can only reach stationary targets nearby, the secret sauce is a military radar derived beam focusing antenna and FBMC modulation using fewer, but more powerful carrier waves. Everybody else is using vanilla antennas and OFDM based modulations.

"What do you do if 1,000 homes sign up for the service?"

You would need more base stations, but not more bandwidth, with Samsung 5G.

"How do you make a competitive service as you don't have the bandwidth divider capability of fiber, coax or even g.fast."

Samsung 5G recycles bandwidth infinitely because it focuses its fine beams to user terminal antennas to accuracy of an inch. In other word, 1000 user terminals would all receive individual signal beams as long as they are physically separate. In fact, different network's base stations can share same bandwidth. Call it a space-based multiplexing technology.

"So, XO builds the metro and long haul bandwidth...but thats it."

This is why Verizon and FCC went Gung Ho with Samsung's 5G technology, where FCC allocated the spectrum demanded by Samsung for US 5G and where Verizon pledged to be the first US carrier to deploy long-range 5G.

Yes, you can cover a cell radius of 1~2 km depending on the base station output power with Samsung 5G.

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brooks7 6/2/2016 | 10:35:55 PM

Re: wireless vs wire line? Commando,

That works for cell services with somewhat limited bandwidth.

Now, to get to homes with Gigabit bandwdith - how far can service operate? 1km? 2 km? What do you do if 1,000 homes sign up for the service? How do you make a competitive service as you don't have the bandwidth divider capability of fiber, coax or even g.fast.

That is the problem. You can't make this work as a gigabit solution and have it cover 1/2 a city so putting 5g at cell sites won't work. That is why people are thinking more like every light pole in a city. Then how do you connect fiber to all those locations?

So, XO builds the metro and long haul bandwidth...but thats it.

seven

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Commo Commando 6/2/2016 | 8:05:10 PM

Re: wireless vs wire line? Hey Steve,

I don't think they need nor will to do any additions to existing FiOS services already going into customer's homes. But what I do think they need to do is either continue to build out service via existing fiber deployments in areas where FiOs is supposedly offered (there are several complaints of neighborhoods being bypassed by VZ), or provide fiber level service via 5G.

Unfortunately, the 5G option still has a few years to go before being fully vetted and adopted. But I think by that time they will have a device with an antenna and multiple ports for RJ45, RJ11, coaxial, and HDMI interconnects that will allow the customer to have video, voice and data services. Moreover, a wireless router will also be provided so all home devices can connect to the in-house network, eliminating the need for a service technician to be deployed. VZ will mail you the device like they do a cellphone, you call and give your S/N as they talk you through setting it up. If it has a signal failure (tiling picture on the t.v., etc...), you call, they transmit a code wirelessly to reboot the device. If that doesn't work, then they next day mail out a replacement. That's what I see them doing once 5G gets deployed. Limited are the days of truck rolling out a technician to a customer premise.

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Commo Commando 6/2/2016 | 7:37:00 PM

Re: wireless vs wire line? Hi Seven,

I'm not really sure if XO needs to have neighborhood reach. The vision I think VZ has is to use XO's access into markets where VZ doesn't have extensive network access. Once in these markets (using an interconnect between XO's existing access and VZ's existing network) they only need to run their own fiber to their cell sites in these markets. As we already know all cell sites must eventually connect a fibered network, as cell sites only act as access antennas to mobile devices. By taking advantage of XO's access into the markets VZ no longer needs to piggy back off of other providers or continue co-loco arrangements.

As far as sending 5G service to customer's homes, I'm not sure how much bandwidth can be transmitted via a local cell site. But in what VZ has offered publicly, they are averaging almost 1900 Mbps on 5G tests platforms in controlled field environments. These are pretty good numbers and can easily provide service to over 100 households if they hold true under "real world" conditions. Moreover with VZ moving past long time partner Fujitsu and signing new deals with Coriant (7100 ROADM OTS providing seamless migration of the optical layer from grey light to multi-degree ROADM and the service layer from a single 100M service to 704 x 100G wavelengths), and Cisco (nLight ROADM 2000 series, and converged packet OTS NCS 4000 series), a single C.O. can handle over 150 Tbps of data, without the need of amplification. This is especially true when using Erbium Doped Raman Amplifies (EDRA). This type of configuration is more than enough for a city the size of Phoenix.

In the end, I'm not saying I exclusively know what VZ's future configurations for 5G is, but in reading the tea leaves it seems to me they may be on to something. A service like 5G that can provide optical level bandwidth to customer's homes and mobile devices without the need to run fiber beyond the cell tower, should in my opinion, provide a very competitive advantage over cable, satellite, and cellular service providers, especially as we enter the age of IoT.

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steve q 6/2/2016 | 4:16:24 AM

Re: wireless vs wire line? Why does Verizon just find a better way to provide FiOS plus adding 5g fixed antenna on the fiber optic cable that is going to each customer house. Or rebuild the vats as a digital adapter so they will be able to forgo using a ont. Verizon most find a way to provide better service to more than one house or business location then running ont to each customer.

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brooks7 6/2/2016 | 1:02:48 AM

Re: wireless vs wire line?

So, again...Brownfield where 5G will work is where they have FiOS already.

Greenfield is overbuilding other carriers. They have no fixed local access networks there.

Problem is that the XO network doesn't have neighborhood reach. I remember a planner at US West told me they put in 1400 sites for Next Level Gear for Phoenix. How many would they have to put in to cover Phoenix with 5G? 500? 1000? You have to get 1G service and not have too many homes per node (100 tops?).

They get to spend all that money to become the 3rd player in the local broadband market. SWEET!

seven

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jayakd0 6/1/2016 | 9:47:02 PM

Re: wireless vs wire line? @Commo Commando my comment was with reference to the access network choices. Backhaul, yes the XO aquisition strategy makes a compelling story, as you, yourself has made it much more clear.

Let us watch how 5G will make a business case for fixed access with other PON, DSL and DOCSIS players there :)

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Commo Commando 6/1/2016 | 7:05:58 PM

Re: wireless vs wire line? Not overbuilding but solidifying. As Lowell McAdams stated, the plan is to use 5G to provide fibered FiOS level service, primarily to areas where it currently doesn't exist which is most of the country. So XO will be the extention of the VZ network for 5G (FiOS level) services in areas where the required fiber to the cell site is limited or not present. Fibered FiOS service's are only in 12 market areas in the East Coast (MA to VA). XO is in 45 markets coast-to-coast. XO can help expand FiOS grade service by connecting to the cell sites for 5G (FiOS grade) transmission.

Furthermore, in the few area's where fibered FiOS and XO services overlap, an XO connection to the cell site can help provide 5G to fill in the gaps where fibered service hasn't been completely expanded (most of the fibered FiOS markets are spotty in providing fibered services to the entire market area - here again 5G can fill in the gaps).

Seven, we can envision a not too distant future where XO will be used as a conduit between the VZ network and its cell towers for 5G service only. Limited are the days where fiber to the home FiOS will be deployed, but instead 5G.

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