Samsung Electronics said it has been picked as a supplier for Verizon Communications’s commercial deployment of 5G-based fixed wireless broadband service.
Under the deal, focused on Samsung’s 5G Fixed Wireless Access network products (including 5G home routers and 5G Radio Access units) the two will initially work together on a deployment in Sacramento, Calif., that’s slated for the second half of 2018.
Last month, Verizon also tapped Ericsson for a 5G-based rollout in select markets as the company looked to deploy residential 5G broadband services in as many as five markets in the second half of 2018.
Both vendor selections for coming commercial rollouts arrive on the heels of Verizon’s pre-commercial 5G trials (using millimeter wave spectrum) in almost a dozen markets. Verizon and Samsung collaborated on 5G trials in parts of California, Georgia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
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Verizon and Samsung said that those trials revealed that a single 5G radio could reach the 19th floor of a multi-dwelling unit, and that broadband service was achieved using line of sight, partial LOS and even non-LOS connections. They also claimed that “environmental factors” such as rain and snow, did not interrupt 5G-based broadband service.
“The industry has been discussing 5G connectivity for years, and through our joint collaboration with partners like Samsung, we are beginning to make it a reality for our customers,” Ed Chan, chief technology architect and network planning at Verizon, said in a statement. “Sacramento is an ideal place to begin deploying 5G broadband services, providing a progressive environment for creating future use cases.”
“Together with Verizon, we have explored the vast potential of 5G through market trials across the U.S.,” added Mark Louison, SVP and GM, networks division, at Samsung Electronics America. “At the same time, Samsung applied lessons learned from these real-world trials to ensure that our complete end-to-end 5G portfolio is ready for commercial service. We are delighted to work with Verizon on this journey to create unprecedented user experiences powered by 5G.”
