Verizon completes 5G call using 3GPP standards

Verizon on Monday said it’s the first carrier to conduct an over-the-air call on a 3GPP-compliant 5G New Radio (NR) system using its licensed millimeter wave spectrum.

Verizon said the test was conducted in Murray Hill, NJ using Nokia 5G network technology on a 5G NR prototype device from Qualcomm.

The Qualcomm prototype included an optimized millimeter wave RF front-end design in a smartphone form factor.

“Qualcomm Technologies is committed to supporting the launch of standard-based commercial 5G networks and products beginning in 2019,” Joe Glynn, VP of business development at Qualcomm, said in a statement. “The successful completion of standard-compliant 5G NR millimeter wave testing with leading mobile industry innovators such as Nokia and Verizon prove that we are well on the path to making this a reality.”

3GPP approved the 5G NR standard in December 2017 that paves the way for worldwide 5G tests and an eventual consumer rollout.

Earlier this month, Verizon announced a successful 5G video call between Minneapolis and Seoul with Samsung and KT.

With networking partner Ericsson, Telstra claimed the first worldwide 5G data call made over 26GHz spectrum in November 2017.

Verizon has previously said it plans to launch 5G service in some cities in the US this year. However, the 5G service will first be offered as fixed in-place wireless, rather than through cell towers.

5G promises customers faster connection than 4G with low-latency speed up to 1 GB/s. Faster connections are likely to enable a host of business applications and smarter Internet of things deployments.