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Companies stream six simultaneous UHD videos over 28-GHz spectrum.
U.S. Cellular and Nokia this week announced they have conducted indoor and outdoor 5G tests to evaluate its potential use for fixed wireless services.
Using an experimental 28-GHz licence granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), U.S. Cellular used Nokia’s new AirScale radio platform to stream six ultra high-definition (UHD) videos.
"We strive to provide our customers in the mid-sized and rural markets we serve with the latest technology that can enhance their lives or businesses. And we will continue to deliver a fast, high-quality network that works whenever and wherever our customers need it," said U.S. Cellular CTO Michael Irizarry, in a statement on Wednesday.
For the outdoor test, the companies set up a point-to-point, line-of-sight connection between a base station and an end user terminal. To test its performance, various real-world impairments were introduced, such as dry wall, windows, and metal panels. The test was repeated by moving the base station and terminal behind trees and foliage. The indoor test was conducted in U.S. Cellular’s lab.
In both environments, the tests achieved speeds of 5 Gbps and latency below 2 milliseconds, Nokia said.
"Nokia continues to accelerate its efforts to develop and test 5G in North America, and we’re pleased to expand our relationship with U.S. Cellular with this newest 5G collaboration. Our tests show how 5G technology not only will enhance U.S. Cellular’s ongoing efforts to stay ahead of the needs of their data-hungry customers and businesses, but also create opportunities for new services requiring high bandwidth and low latency," said Ricky Corker, EVP and head of North America for Nokia.
