Samsung powering Verizon’s 5G commercial services in Sacramento, California

Samsung Electronics America, has been selected to supply Verizon with commercial 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network solutions. The two companies will begin by launching commercial 5G services in Sacramento, California in the second half of 2018.

“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,” said Ed Chan, Chief Technology Architect and Network Planning, Verizon. “Sacramento is an ideal place to begin deploying 5G broadband services, providing a progressive environment for creating future use cases.”

“Together with Verizon, we have explored the vast potential of 5G through market trials across the U.S.,” said Mark Louison, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Networks Division, Samsung Electronics America. “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.”

Last year, Samsung and Verizon began 5G customer trials across seven U.S. cities in early 2017, and have successfully tested and verified 5G performance using millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency to provide FWA pre-commercial service. These trials were conducted in California, Georgia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas, and Washington D.C.

5G Trial Findings

After conducting trials in key markets across the U.S., Samsung and Verizon have collected results that will help in calibrating a 5G future. Key findings include:

• A single 5G radio has been able to reach the 19^th floor of a multi-dwelling unit (MDU).
• Broadband service has been achieved in line of sight (LOS), partial LOS and Non-LOS connections.
• Environmental factors, including rain and snow, have not interrupted services.

Samsung will provide Verizon with commercial 5G home routers (CPEs), 5G Radio Access Units (RAN) comprised of a compact radio base station and virtualized RAN elements, as well as 5G radio frequency planning services. To provide these services, Samsung has leveraged in-house technology and assets to develop the first commercial ASIC-based 5G modems and mmWave RFICs. Verizon and Samsung will continue to develop the use cases and applications of Samsung’s 5G technology.