SAN DIEGO, Jan. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Sprint (NYSE:
S) announced it has reached a significant milestone on its path
towards launching mobile 5G service beginning in the first half of
this year. Together with Nokia and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a
subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, the companies this week
completed the world's first over-the-air 5G data transmission using
2.5 GHz and Massive MIMO on Sprint's live commercial network.
![Sprint completes world’s first 5G data call using 2.5 GHz and Massive MIMO on its commercial network. Sprint completes world’s first 5G data call using 2.5 GHz and Massive MIMO on its commercial network.](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/806886/testers_close_up_2.jpg)
The field test, conducted on Sprint's commercial network in
San Diego, used global 5G
standards on a commercial 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) network with
Sprint's 2.5 GHz spectrum, Nokia's dual-mode AirScale Massive MIMO
radio, and a mobile smartphone form-factor test device powered by
the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X50 5G modem and antenna
modules with integrated RF transceiver, RF front-end and antenna
elements. The test demonstrated a seamless transition of
connectivity between Sprint's 4G LTE Advanced and 5G network, while
streaming YouTube videos, conducting Skype audio and video calls,
and sending and receiving Instant Messages.
"This is a big step forward – Sprint 5G is now out of the lab
and in the field as we prepare for our commercial launch in the
first half of this year," said Dr. John Saw, Sprint's Chief
Technology Officer. "We're making great progress towards giving
Sprint customers the first mobile 5G experience in nine top cities
with the first 5G smartphone in the U.S."
"Nokia is pleased to work on another 5G first with Sprint and
Qualcomm," said Mike Murphy, Chief
Technology Officer for North
America, Nokia. "By using 2.5 GHz for 5G, existing sites
nationwide can be re-used, with indoor coverage as well. This first
standards-based call is thus a critical step towards Sprint's
offering of a 5G service to its customers."
"Today's announcement marks a major milestone in 5G
commercialization using sub-6 GHz spectrum, which provides wide
area and high-performance connectivity," said Durga Malladi, Senior
Vice President and General Manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies,
Inc. "We look forward to continue working with Sprint and Nokia in
bringing high-capacity and multi-gigabit 5G networks to consumers
in 2019."
This week's successful test at a commercial Sprint cell site
follows earlier 5G milestones by the company. In December, Sprint
completed its first 5G NR data transmissions inside its lab in
Reston, Va., using its 2.5 GHz
spectrum, Massive MIMO radios from both Nokia and Ericsson, and a
mobile smartphone form-factor test device from Qualcomm
Technologies.
Sprint 5G Launching in First Half of 2019
Sprint is
executing its award-winning 5G strategy with 2.5 GHz spectrum and
Massive MIMO technology to launch its blazing-fast service
beginning in nine top cities in the first half of 2019. They
include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas
City, Los Angeles,
New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. From the start, the company
is designing mobile 5G footprints covering these downtown metros.
Using its super-fast, mid-band 2.5 GHz spectrum, Sprint plans to
offer contiguous coverage in the downtown area of these cities for
its highly mobile, on-the-go customers.
Sprint's 5G build out is well under way with hundreds of Massive
MIMO radios deployed last year. Massive MIMO is a breakthrough
technology that dramatically improves the capacity of Sprint's LTE
Advanced network with equipment that is software upgradable to 5G.
Sprint's 64T64R Massive MIMO radios support split-mode, enabling
the company to offer LTE and 5G simultaneously on the same radio.
Initial results from early deployments show Massive MIMO is driving
a 4X average increase in capacity and speed with peak increases up
to 10X over LTE. With Massive MIMO at the foundation of its mobile
5G service, Sprint can keep meeting its customers' demand for
unlimited data and high-bandwidth applications.
5G promises new levels of innovation and progress to connect
people, places and the billions of things Sprint customers do with
blazing-fast speed and ultra-reliable wireless connectivity. Sprint
customers will experience mobile 5G with the first 5G smartphone in
the U.S. from Sprint and LG. Sprint's 5G device portfolio will also
include a 5G mobile smart hub from HTC and a 5G smartphone from
Samsung.
To follow Sprint's Next-Gen Network build out and its road to
5G, visit http://newsroom.sprint.com/network/.
About Sprint:
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications
services company that creates more and better ways to connect
its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint
served 54.5 million connections as of Sept.
30, 2018 and is widely recognized for developing,
engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the
first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands
including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost
Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international
push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone.
Today, Sprint's legacy of innovation and service continues with an
increased investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability,
and speed across its nationwide network and commitment to launching
the first 5G mobile network in the U.S. You can learn more and
visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and
www.twitter.com/sprint.
Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm
Incorporated, registered in the United
States and other countries.
Qualcomm Snapdragon is
a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its
subsidiaries.
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SOURCE Sprint