Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Inside Angel Stadium’s pilot CBRS network
ANAHEIM, California — The sleek, matte-black oval of an antenna cover blends seamlessly into the background in the Don Julio club at Angel Stadium, despite being the star of the evening. It is transmitting a 3.5 GHz signal to enable a variety of what one presenter calls “IT mobilization”: untethering traditionally wired IT operations, such as security cameras and digital signage, and using CBRS-based private LTE to do it. Connectivity Wireless, which also operates the stadium’s distributed antenna system, and JMA are responsible for the CBRS test network at the stadium, with partners including Motorola, Cradlepoint and Athonet, which is providing the core functionality. Connectivity manages the network. While the test network at Angel Stadium is a single sector, it’s meant to show the potential that the technology holds as an alternative to Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet. One tables around the room are a pair of Motorola two-way radios, a TV screen for digital signage, a video camera and a pair of iPhones that are all able to operate on the CBRS network, providing data connectivity. … Read more
Quantifying the urban/rural network performance divide
Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are being allocated toward improving rural connectivity, with the Federal Communications Commission last week announcing a sixth wave of funded projects from the Connect America Fund. T-Mobile US has promised better rural coverage, including the extension of 5G service to most of the U.S., as part of its pitch for its merger with Sprint, which the FCC approved last week. So what does the urban/rural divide in mobile coverage actually mean in terms of experience? Crowd-sourced, device-based measurement and analysis company OpenSignal dug into its data to take a look. The mobile digital divide includes lack of coverage, and OpenSignal found that rural users could connect to an LTE signal more than 90% in 14 states (mostly on the East Coast), but that dropped in Western states and large states. Rural users in Alaska and Wyoming had an LTE signal less than 70% of the time. But the bulk of OpenSignal’s focus was on what kind of experience rural users have when they do get an LTE signal. And it basically comes down to this: a slower experience than urban users have, with higher latency. The analysis included some evidence that was not so obvious, however, such as that being located in a geographically small state doesn’t necessarily mean a smaller gap in rural vs. urban mobile speeds. Large states like Alaska and Wyoming typically had a smaller gap between the experiences of urban and rural mobile users, “mainly because users, on average, had a slower — and therefore more similar — download speed experience in both urban and rural areas,” OpenSignal said in a blog post on the data analysis. … Read more
Verizon puts 5G into its first three sports venues
On Friday Verizon announced it has activated its millimeter wave-based 5G network in three sports venues, has a fourth venue “coming soon,” and will launch at six additional facilities by the end of the 2019-2020 NBA and NHL seasons. The next-gen network is now live at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, which hosts the NBA’s Phoenix Suns; the Chase Center in San Francisco where the Golden State Warriors play; and Denver’s Pepsi Center, which serves as home base for the NBA’s Nuggets and the NHL’s Avalanche. Verizon is working to activate 5G in Madison Square Garden in New York City, where the Knicks and Rangers play. This is the latest in Verizon’s investment in 5G for sports venues. In September the carrier said it would bring 5G to 13 NFL stadiums to correspond with the league’s 100th season. The stadiums include Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina, Broncos Stadium at Mile High in Colorado, CenturyLink Field in Washington, Ford Field in Michigan, Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, and MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In some cities, the stadium will be the only place with Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband service. Verizon’s VP of Technology Heidi Hemmer, in a statement, said enhanced fan experiences are just one application of 5G, which “is transforming how entire industries operate ranging from entertainment to manufacturing. Having this next generation technology in large venues like arenas should not only enhance the game-day experience for sports fans, but provide greater bandwidth for concert-goes, visitors or business working inside the venue.” … Read more
No rush to 5G for America Movil
Mexican telecom group America Movil, the telecoms giant controlled by the family of billionaire Carlos Slim, is not expecting to increase capex in Latin America in the next two years because of 5G technology, the company’s CEO Daniel Hajj told a conference call with investors. Hajj said that current investment levels in Latin America are in line with the needs of the domestic markets, and the focus now is on expanding fiber, on 4.5G technology, and on network virtualization. “We are not in a hurry to get 5G in Latin America. What we’re doing right now is to virtualize the network and add much more fiber to the node and some things that we’re going to use in 5G when we decide to launch 5G,” the executive said. America Movil, which operates in Mexico and in most of the countries in Latin America, will initially launch 5G technology in Austria, where it controls local operators Telekom Austria, Hajj said. The executive added that Austria’s 5G launch will take place in February 2020. In the other markets, he said that America Movil is “testing and improving the network and make the network ready to decide when we want to launch 5G.” … Read more
5G and the new status quo
LOS ANGELES–Today 5G is quite possibly the hottest topic in Los Angeles County, which would place it high in the running for hottest topic worldwide. But sometimes there’s a topic, sometimes, there’s a technology. Aw. I lost my train of thought here. But…aw, hell. I’ve done introduced 5G enough. “We are again in the same situation as innovators. The status quo cannot deliver on the premise of 5G,” according to Altiostar EVP of Strategy and Product Management Thierry Maupile. It’s not just an architecture, he said, but “a necessity.” Caroline Chan of Intel reflected on how LTE served in many ways to help over-the-top companies cash-in on services delivered over networks those same companies didn’t put any money into building. And that can’t happen again with 5G, meaning its up to service providers this time around. She noted that in China, webscale companies like Tencent and Alibaba are involved in 5G efforts. “That’s a scary thought. It’s something we have to think about.” Maupile agreed that methods of enterprise adoption associated with previous generations of cellular have been successful and he warned of greenfield network operators like Rakuten entering the market and posing a legitimate challenge to established telcos. “They are going to enter and they are going to disrupt the section. The likelihood that someone will enter your market is pretty high.” … Read more
O2 launches 5G
U.K carrier O2, owned by Spanish telecommunciations group Telefonica, announced the launch of its commercial 5G network in the U.K. O2’s 5G network is now available in certain areas of Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Slough and Leeds. O2’s initial focus for its 5G network is on highly populated areas including railway stations, shopping centers and sports stadiums. The telco said that its 5G network will be live in a total of 20 towns and cities by the end of the year, and 50 by summer 2020. “We’re launching with a range of tariffs that make it easy and fair for customers to access 5G, with flexible plans that cost no more than 4G,” said Mark Evans, CEO of Telefónica UK. “We’re also switching on 5G in important parts of towns and cities first, places where it will benefit customers and businesses most.” “We want the UK to be a global leader in 5G and for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027,” said Matt Warman, digital minister. “This investment by O2 is a great step forward in rolling out the technology across our home nations, providing world-class infrastructure to help us grow our economy and compete strongly.” … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
