Samsung Electronics America and Verizon are teaming up to deliver commercial 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network solutions in Sacramento, California in the second half of 2018. The move comes after the two companies began 5G customer trials across the U.S. in early 2017 and getting successful results.
Ed Chan, Chief Technology Architect and Network Planning at Verizon, said:
“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. Sacramento is an ideal place to begin deploying 5G broadband services, providing a progressive environment for creating future use cases.”
Mark Louison, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Networks Division, at Samsung Electronics America, said:
“Together with Verizon, we have explored the vast potential of 5G through market trials across the U.S. 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.”
Some of the states which were subject to the trials last year included California, Georgia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas, and Washington D.C. The trials successfully tested and verified 5G performance using millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency to provide FWA pre-commercial service.
As part of the deal, Samsung is to provide Verizon with commercial 5G home routers, 5G Radio Access Units (RAN), and 5G radio frequency planning services. Samsung will leverage in-house technology and assets to develop the first commercial ASIC-based 5G modems and mmWave RFICs. Going forward the two companies will develop the use cases and applications of Samsung’s 5G technology.