The number of carriers testing 5G has nearly tripled during the past year, according to research from test equipment provider VIAVI Solutions.
Number of Carriers Testing 5G
The firm’s “State of 5G Trials” report found that 72 network operators now are testing 5G, with 28 of those in field trials. An additional 28 have announced plans for trials.
The report also offered insight into the progress being made by those trials. Four companies – Etisalat, Proximus, Telenor and Zain – have reached speeds of 70 Gbps. Six operators have surpassed 35 Gbps and six tested at 10 Gbps.
“Network service providers have been grappling with the evolution to 5G for some time, including how to address technology challenges such as fixed mobile convergence, hybrid cloud, network slicing and increasing virtualization,” said Sameh Yamany, VIAVI Solutions’ Chief Technology Officer in a press release. “Virtual test, automation, self-optimization and analytics will be essential to dealing with the growing complexity and scale of 5G networks, while managing demand for high data rates, very low latency applications and large-scale IoT services.”
Involvement of equipment manufacturers is increasing as well. VIAVI found that 14 have announced participation in trials. The trials cross bandwidth boundaries, ranging from below 3 GHz to 86 GHz. The most common wavelength in testing among those offering details is 28 GHz. The second most common is 21 GHz.
The pace of 5G testing is accelerating. More equipment is available in general. A specific catalyst was the 3rd Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) late last year — a standard aimed at enabling 5G radios to be deployed using LTE infrastructure. The 5G NR (New Radio) is aimed at making it easier for carriers and equipment suppliers to take the 5G plunge. The VIAVI study suggests that this indeed is happening.