Verizon, Ericsson, and Qualcomm Technologies today announced that they have completed the first end-to-end call with a smartphone form factor test device on a commercial 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) network in Minneapolis, MN. This test demonstrates the experience consumers will eventually have on a commercial 5G NR network when it becomes available.
The companies were able to perform several tests over the 5G connection, including accessing the internet. The transmissions were completed over Verizon’s 39 GHz spectrum and an Ericsson millimeter wave radio through the Ericsson non-standalone Option 3x core. As for the form factor device, it includes an integrated Snapdragon X50 5G modem and RF subsystem.
Verizon has announced it will be first to launch 5G residential broadband service in four markets in the U.S. including Los Angeles, Sacramento, Houston, and Indianapolis in the second half of 2018.
Bill Stone, vice president, Technology Development and Planning for Verizon said:
This latest demonstration is significant because it took place over commercial 5G NR network equipment to a test device in the form factor of the handheld devices our customers will eventually use on our 5G network. Verizon and our technology partners continue to achieve significant 5G deployment milestones. Together, we’re leading the way to making this next-generation technology a reality.
Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of Networks at Ericsson, said:
We’ve taken 5G from the lab to a real-life network environment. We’ve done so with customer focus in mind and through close collaboration with key partners. Achieving this call using our commercial 5G NR network equipment and a smartphone form factor device with Verizon and Qualcomm underscores our dedication to ensuring 5G delivers the promised benefits for our customers and their end users.
Joe Glynn, vice president, business development, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc said:
Today’s successful end-to-end connection between an Ericsson base station and a Qualcomm mobile test device over Verizon’s 5G network is another major milestone on the path to commercial 5G. We look forward to conducting further demos with both Verizon and Ericsson as we continue to pave the way to commercial 5G devices and networks in early 2019.