Ericsson has been selected by Vodafone UK to provide 5G radio technology, in addition to Massive MIMO and Carrier Aggregation (CA) for its 4G network in London and the surrounding area in southern England.
The two companies signed a memo of understanding that covers 4G evolution; 5G radio nonstandalone and standalone; 5G site deployment scenarios; 5G use cases; and distributed cloud and network slicing proof of concept, with end-to-end latency and cloud-optimized network applications.
In addition, they’re going to be collaborating with King’s College in London and in the 5G Technology Incubation Programme. Technology trials, product validation and commercial deployment, in addition to professional services, are all part of the agreement.
The arrangement also means they will be conducting 5G New Radio (NR) simulations in the millimeter wave bands and at 3.5 GHz, a band that is at the heart of controversial efforts in the U.S. to make it more aligned with global 5G requirements.
CTIA and T-Mobile are arguing for changes to the 3.5 GHz CBRS rules to encourage investment in the band and ensure that the United States retains its leadership position in the development of 5G technologies across all spectrum bands. Technology companies, equipment manufacturers and wireless providers are increasingly looking at the 3.5 GHz band for 5G, with an expanding focus in just the past several months, CTIA noted in its June 16 filing with the commission.
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The Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG), a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy, released an analysis of 5G alternatives and concluded in part that it considers the 3400-3800 MHz band “to be the primary band suitable for the introduction of 5G-based services in Europe even before 2020, noting that this band is already harmonized for mobile networks, and consists of up to 400 MHz of continuous spectrum enabling wide channel bandwidth,” T-Mobile wrote in its June 19 filing with the FCC.
The RSPG further stated that the 3400-3800 MHz band “has the possibility to put Europe at the forefront of the 5G deployment,” the “uncarrier” said.
In addition, the United Kingdom has initiated procedures to auction parts of the 3 GHz band and has begun a rulemaking proceeding that proposes making 3.6 to 3.8 GHz available for future mobile services including 5G, which would include eventually auctioning it for mobile use.