US wireless giant Verizon and technology partner Nokia have announced their first successful transmission of a 3GPP New Radio (NR) 5G signal to a receiver situated in a moving vehicle. The testing milestone followed June’s series of outdoor data sessions over the 5G NR standard, and the implementation of multi-carrier aggregation to boost those signals into the gigabit speed range. In the latest test, data transmission on 28GHz spectrum was via two 5G NR radios to a travelling vehicle outfitted with a receiver and equipment to measure transmission statistics, achieving ‘seamless 5G NR Layer 3 3GPP-compliant mobility handoff of the signal between the two sectors (intra-gNB and inter-DU)’.
‘Unlike some of the incremental 5G technology announcements we’ve seen lately, tests like the one we conducted are significant advancements in the development of 5G technology,’ said Bill Stone, vice president, Technology Development and Planning for Verizon, adding: ‘By taking these tests out of the lab and into the field, we’re replicating the experience users will ultimately have in a 5G mobility environment.’
Verizon last week also named Indianapolis as the fourth city scheduled to receive 5G residential broadband service in the second half of 2018, alongside Houston, Los Angeles and Sacramento. Verizon claims it will be the first cellco to deploy 5G residential broadband service and 5G mobile service in the United States. Home internet service will begin in the four identified markets this year, and mobile devices will become commercially available ‘in early 2019’.