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."
"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
"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.