The citizens broadband radio service band moved another step closer to opening. NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences released final test reports to companies that participated in testing on sharing the 3.5 GHz band. “The completed tests will drive progress toward initial commercial deployments in the band, prized for its excellent mix of capacity and coverage capabilities,” blogged Keith Gremban, director of the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences. “With 4G LTE technology for the band available today, industry has already begun to develop specifications to support 5G deployments.” The FCC plans to use the reports to certify that the spectrum access systems are complying with its rules, Gremban said Friday. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly predicts the band will likely be the first mid-band spectrum to come online for 5G (see 1904300208).

Gartner expects 5G phones to be 51 percent of total handset sales globally in 2023, it reported Wednesday. Mobile operators began launching such service this year in parts of the U.S., South Korea, Switzerland, Finland and the U.K., “but it will take time for carriers to expand 5G coverage beyond major cities,” it said. Gartner estimates 7 percent of global communications service providers “will have a commercially viable wireless 5G service” by next year: “This will mark significant progress from 5G proofs of concept and commercial network construction work in 2018.” Though 2019's first half saw release of the first fifth-generation smartphones, several OEMs likely will introduce more affordable ones in 2020 in a bid to reverse declining sales, it said. Gartner estimates global smartphone shipments will decline 3.8 percent this year to 1.75 billion units. The researcher projects 5G-capable phones will be 6 percent of total phone sales next year and "as 5G service coverage increases, user experience will improve and prices will decrease.”

Carrier infrastructure investments as they prepare for a broader 5G rollout are “paying off in clear-cut quality improvement” in phone calls and streaming media and app use, reported J.D. Power Thursday. Verizon ranked highest, achieving the lowest network quality problems per 100 connections in call, messaging and data quality in each U.S. region. T-Mobile tied Verizon in Northeast data quality January-July. Another researcher gave Verizon high marks last week (see 1907150041). Tuesday, IHS Markit reported Verizon “maintained its edge” over competitors at all levels of testing, while all four carriers delivered faster speeds in the first half "with 5G rollouts on the horizon.” Other findings are all four major carriers improved speeds in U.S. metropolitan areas vs. second half 2018. AT&T made “impressive speed gains,” expanding the number of markets -- from six to 36 -- where it delivers median download speeds of at least 40 Mbps. Sprint made speed improvements, reaching median download speeds of 30 Mbps or faster in 34 metro markets, up from 10 in second-half 2018. Verizon’s fastest media download speed was 67.8 Mbps in Dayton, Ohio. Maintaining a robust LTE network will be critical in the 5G era because users won't experience 5G service 100 percent of the time, said IHS, "especially in the early phases of deployments.”

Verizon's fifth 5G-enabled device is an Inseego MiFi M1000 hot spot ($649), launched nationally Thursday, though the carrier’s service is available in just five markets. It added St. Paul to its 5G mobility cities list Thursday, joining Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis and Providence, Rhode Island. The Inseego device is “business-ready,” said Verizon, providing roomy bandwidth and fast download speeds for applications including 4K and 8K video streaming, virtual reality and augmented reality, plus mobile workforce and industrial IoT. In St. Paul, Verizon 5G ultra-wideband service is available in parts of the downtown, Lowertown and West Seventh neighborhoods, said the carrier. When customers move outside of 5G coverage range, devices automatically hand the signal to Verizon’s 4G LTE network, it said.

Chinese companies lead the world on 5G R&D and are poised to continue that trend, China Briefing reported. China has other advantages, including a dense fiber network, the report said. China’s domestic market is huge, the report noted: “China has the world’s largest end-user base -- over 800 million internet users” and estimates of 576 million 5G users by 2025 “or more than 40 percent of the global total. Their demand may lead to a flood of 5G applications.”

Ericsson is seeing “strong momentum” in its 5G business “with both new contracts and new commercial launches as well as live networks,” CEO Borje Ekholm said Wednesday as the company reported quarterly numbers. “To date, we have provided solutions for almost two-thirds of all commercially launched 5G networks,” he said: “5G momentum is increasing. Initially, 5G will be a capacity enhancer in metropolitan areas. However, over time, new exciting innovations for 5G will come with IoT use cases, leveraging the speed, latency and security 5G can provide. This provides opportunities for our customers to capture new revenues as they provide additional benefits to consumers and businesses.” Quarterly operating profit rose to $395 million from $21 million a year earlier. Ericsson is one of the main rivals to China’s Huawei as a supplier of 5G equipment.

About 45 million PCs and tablets incorporating 5G connectivity will be in use globally by 2023, based on a 216 percent compound annual growth rate in sales the next five years, reported Strategy Analytics. The 5G era will give mobile operators “a fresh chance to communicate the advantages and new use cases of high-speed cellular connectivity with consumers, a much needed conversation to bring more devices onto these more efficient networks and to make good on the massive 5G investment,” said SA. Most 5G computing devices in use by 2023 will be tablets and detachable 2-in-1s, it said. Asia-Pacific will have more than 40 percent of the 5G devices in use, followed by North America (29 percent) and Western Europe (21 percent), the researcher said Tuesday.

The continued evolution of LTE is critical to the IoT's future, 5G Americas said Tuesday. Some forecast 20 billion connected things and $1 trillion in worldwide spending on the IoT by 2020, the report said: “IoT has arrived -- there are more connected devices worldwide than the global population.” But challenges remain. “The future-proofing and delivery of IoT becomes essential as networks transform from 4G to 5G,” said co-author Vicki Livingston, vice president-communications. “In 2019, we are seeing the early deployment of 5G networks,” she said: “However, LTE IoT will continue to evolve over coming years, leveraging the scale, longevity and global coverage of LTE networks and complement initial 5G New Radio deployments that focus on enhanced mobile broadband and high-performance IoT.”

Israel officials said they'll hold a 5G auction, with the goal of announcing winners by December and launching next year. Israel plans to auction frequencies ranging from 700-2100 MHz, already used for 4G services, to 2600-3800 MHz, which is set aside for 5G, The Times of Israel reported Monday.

Sprint turned on 5G in the "heart" of Chicago, covering approximately 700,000 POPs, it said Thursday. Sprint 5G is already available in areas of Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Kansas City.