Intel and Ericsson announced the completion of the first 5G-NR compliant live data call over the 39 GHz band in a lab-based trial conducted in Kista (Sweden) and Santa Clara (California). The pilot was carried out in July using Intel’s RF mm-Wave chip with Ericsson Radio System commercial equipment, including the 5G NR radio AIR 5331, baseband and Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform. “This live 5G demonstration on the 39 GHz band signifies how close 5G commercial services are to reality in North America,” said Asha Keddy, vice president Next Generation and Standards at Intel, adding that the call is an important step in ensuring the company’s commercial platforms are field ready for deployment in 2019.
The partners said the 39 GHz band is an important spectrum for North American commercial deployment beginning in 2019, as major operators including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile US plan to use the band for 5G data services. In July Ericsson and Intel completed the first end-to-end 5G data call using 3.5GHz band, showing their commitment to global interoperability across multiple bands.
