Charter, Samsung Doing 5G, 4G LTE Field Trials as Sprint, Ericsson Complete 5G Tests

Charter Communications and Samsung are partnering on 5G and 4G LTE wireless network field and lab trials around the U.S., with the work having started over the summer and set to run through the rest of the year. Samsung said Tuesday the 5G trials are evaluating fixed-use cases that employ its pre-commercial 28 GHz network and equipment, and the 4G trials are being done at 3.5 GHz, using its 4G LTE small-cell technology in outdoor environments. Charter blogged it "will emphasize an 'Inside-Out' strategy" focused first on indoor wireless offerings, then outdoor. It said after it next year launches its mobile wireless service "as a Wifi first" mobile virtual network operator (see 1611030041), it will look to boost the quality, speed and capacity of its wireless service using 3.5 GHz band and millimeter wave spectrum. Charter hopes the FCC, as it looks at opening the 3.5 GHz shared band, will set licensing rules "that would ensure and encourage investment and deployment by new entrants, including Charter." Sprint and Ericsson, meanwhile, said they did the first U.S. 2.5 GHz Massive MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) field tests using Sprint spectrum and Ericsson’s 64T64R (64 transmit, 64 receive) radios, in Seattle and in Plano, Texas. “The two companies are preparing for commercial deployment next year, with Massive MIMO radios capable of increasing Sprint’s network capacity up to ten times,” Sprint said. “This technology is a tremendous competitive advantage for Sprint, enabling us to maximize our deep 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings,” said John Saw, chief technology officer. “Massive MIMO will be key to meeting our customers’ growing demand for unlimited data, as well as offering Gigabit LTE and 5G services.”