5G Focus: Verizon, AT&T speed boost; Bangladesh spectrum auction results

5G Focus is a weekly global feature including notable 5G trials, launches, use cases and major equipment supply contracts. It also features in-depth analysis of strategies, expansion plans, business models and other related initiatives.

This edition features improvements in the 5G speeds offered by Verizon and AT&T following their deployment of C-band spectrum, and the results of the recently concluded auction of 5G frequencies in Bangladesh.

Chart watch

While new 5G mid-band spectrum has increased upload and download speeds for Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc., it may be too early to tell whether either carrier can ultimately catch up to competitor T-Mobile US Inc.

US AND CANADA

* Canada's Rogers Communications Inc. partnered with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network to launch a 5G challenge for small and medium enterprises in the country's Ontario province that provide mobility and transportation services. The challenge will encourage businesses to use Rogers' 5G network in developing applications for high-precision positioning technologies and multi-access edge computing.

* T-Mobile made its 5G home internet service available in additional areas within Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. Almost 3 million more homes in 54 cities and towns across the four states will be able to get the service.

* Rogers Communications launched its commercial 5G stand-alone network in Canada, which is available to customers on major devices. The telco said the launch expands the company's 5G footprint and supports future enterprise and consumer applications.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Smart Communications Inc., the wireless arm of Philippines-based operator PLDT Inc., unveiled GigaRoam, a range of mobile open-access data plans for international travelers. The plans include 5G roaming access in 50 countries through 80 global partner telcos.

* Four mobile operators will pay about US$1.25 billion for spectrum acquired in an auction organized by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, The Business Standard (Bangladesh) reported. The frequencies are expected to help improve mobile services and facilitate the future rollout of 5G.

* India's Bharti Airtel Ltd. will team up with Tech Mahindra Ltd. to develop and market 5G use cases through the creation of a joint innovation lab. The companies will also offer customized enterprise-grade private networks for 5G, fiber and internet of things services, as well as cloud and content delivery network services for businesses.

* China's ZTE Corp. conducted a trial of 5G new radio-dual connectivity technology in Thailand's Korat province, in partnership with local operator Advanced Info Service PCL and Qualcomm Inc. unit Qualcomm Technologies Inc. The trial achieved a peak downlink speed of 8.5 Gbps and a peak uplink speed of 2.17 Gbps on a single mobile device using 2.6 GHz and 26 GHz spectrum.

* Taiwan-based telco Chunghwa Telecom tapped Nokia Oyj to enhance its 5G network in Taiwan's central and southern regions in a two-year agreement.

EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Deutsche Telekom AG added 5,000 antennas to its high-speed 5G network. About 350 new sites have been added in recent weeks.

* Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG said it now has 10,000 5G antennas in operation, with the service now reaching over a third of the population.

* Telekom Slovenije d.d. will phase out its 3G technology by Sept. 30 and replace it with 4G and 5G, Telecompaper reported.

* The Communications Regulatory Authority of the Republic of Lithuania, or RRT, will hold an auction of three blocks of 100 MHz frequencies in the 3,400-3,700 MHz band, to be used for the rollout of 5G networks and electronic communications services. Interested bidders need to submit their auction documents by May 31.

* Vodafone Deutschland GmbH began deploying the first 5G+ small cells with gigabit bandwidth in the city of Cologne, Germany, Telecompaper reported.

* Nokia struck a deal with Etisalat UAE, the telecom arm of global technology and investment conglomerate e&, to roll out 5G private wireless networks to support the digital transformation of business across various industries in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

* In other Nokia news, the company filed a case against the Romanian government after the Supreme Council of National Defence refrained from authorizing the company to provide 5G network gear in the country, Telecompaper reported, citing Hotnews.ro.

* Dutch operator KPN NV will gradually start phasing out its 3G network to free up more capacity and speed for 4G and 5G.

* The Italian antitrust regulator fined Iliad Italia SpA €1.2 million over unclear claims about 5G offers and misleading customers by not including information on "indispensable conditions" for 5G use, Mobile World Live reported. Iliad SA owns Iliad Italia.

* The Communications Regulators' Association of Southern Africa, a consultative technical body composed of 13 member countries, tapped China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. as a strategic partner to help drive digital transformation in the region. The parties agreed to exchange information and ideas on ICT policies and regulations, as well as conduct joint research on areas including network security, data protection and 5G.

* Telefónica Deutschland will help design and build a private 5G stand-alone campus network in Hamburg, Germany, commissioned by Dataport for its new 5G test lab.

* The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications said that one of the two newcomers declared admissible for the spectrum auction bought multiple frequencies including 5G, to run a mobile network in Belgium.

Featured research

Economics of Internet: State of Austrian OTT video: Subscription: 5G and a slowly declining multichannel sector have led operators to turn to virtual multichannel offerings such as Sky X, Magenta TV and A1 Xplore TV as a way to diversify from traditional means of video distribution.

Economics of Internet: Asia-Pacific subscription OTT video 5-year outlook: Increased investments for better broadband infrastructures and the rollout of 5G to boost the digital economy could help expand the total addressable market for streaming services in highly mobile-centric parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

Technology: Global 5G Survey: Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung top vendor rankings: Kagan's annual worldwide 5G survey asked 83 wireless operator decision-makers to evaluate their 5G systems suppliers based on five key selection criteria. Ericsson ranked highest in our survey, while Nokia and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. also garnered strong marks.

Some external links may require a subscription. Links are current as of publication time, and we are not responsible if those links are unavailable later.