Verizon and its technology partner Nokia recently achieved a major milestone by successfully transmitting a 3GPP New Radio (NR) 5G signal to a receiver inside a moving vehicle for the first time.
The trial took place at Nokia’s Murray Hill, New Jersey campus in June 2018 and builds on earlier accomplishments by the two companies, including consecutive outdoor data sessions using the 5G NR standard and multi-carrier aggregation that boosted throughput to gigabit-per-second ranges.
During the test, the 5G signal handed off seamlessly from one radio sector to another. A 28 GHz transmission was sent from two 5G NR radios mounted on the Nokia building to a vehicle equipped with a receiver and measurement equipment. As the vehicle moved between the coverage areas of the two radios, the system achieved a smooth 5G NR Layer 3 handoff compliant with 3GPP mobility specifications, covering both intra-gNB and inter-DU sector transitions.
Bill Stone, Verizon’s vice president of technology development and planning, noted that this kind of test represents a meaningful step in 5G development beyond incremental announcements. Verizon also stated plans to be the first to launch 5G residential service in select U.S. markets in the second half of 2018, naming Los Angeles, Sacramento, Houston and Indianapolis as initial launch areas.
In other developments, Nokia signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s Tencent to collaborate on 5G research and development. The two companies plan to build an end-to-end 5G test environment in Shenzhen and explore how 5G, combined with AI and automation, can support international standards and open-source ecosystems. Their joint efforts will include 5G application research leveraging edge computing and other technologies to address use cases across entertainment, transportation, intelligent manufacturing, energy and finance, aiming to benefit millions of internet users in China.
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