Ericsson is gearing up to lead a new connected car initiative in Europe focused on developing an overall 5G system architecture for end-to-end vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network connectivity. In a Wednesday announcement, Ericsson said the initiative – the 5GCAR Project – was one of 21 new projects selected to be part of phase two of the…
CCA Wants the FCC To Block AT&T’s FiberTower Buy and Auction the 5G Licenses Instead
Verizon recently whisked Straight Path – and all the 5G spectrum that went with it – out of AT&T’s hands with a cool $3.1 billion bid. Now, the Competitive Carriers Association is renewing its calls for the Federal Communications Commission to hand AT&T another loss by blocking its FiberTower acquisition and auctioning off the millimeter…
Small Cell Forum’s Release 9 is a Blueprint of the 5G, IoT Future
The Small Cell Forum marked its 10th anniversary this week with the release of new specifications that provide a blueprint for the hyperdense networks of the 5G and IoT future. Release 9 reportedly includes an outline of the densified network architectures needed for next generation services, details on how to manage shared and CBRS spectrum, an…
Opto 22 and Dell Bridge the OT/IT Gap to Deliver Industrial IoT Solutions at Hannover Messe 2017
Opto 22 and Dell announce joint exhibition at the Hannover Messe 2017 industrial automation trade show, 24–28 April, in Hannover, Germany, at Hall 8 Stand F31. Products from both companies will be showcased, demonstrating how to integrate and deliver edge computing applications and connect real-world signals and industrial “things” to the digital world of information…
Model Solution Establishes New Innovative Technique for Molding Flexible PCBs
Model Solution (LRD: London) has created a one-of-a-kind manufacturing solution for a company trying to validate the mass production potential of its unique wearable device design. The Myo armband from Thalmic offers touch-free control of technology with hand gestures and motion. Via a wearable presentation remote, the Myo gesture control armband reads a user’s muscle…
TIA Survey Pinpoints Operator Challenges for Early 5G Deployments
A new report from the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has pinpointed a lack of diversity in 5G network densification, disparate data offload strategies, and uncertainties around backhaul technology as three of the top challenges operators must overcome for early 5G deployments. TIA’s report indicated nearly a third of respondents have already begun 5G technology trials,…
Sub-6 GHz Spectrum is Better than mmWave for Fixed 5G. Here’s Why
In the telecoms industry all roads have been leading towards 5G for some time now. However, it’s safe to say that 5G mobile technology is still many years away from commercial deployment. Whilst 5G mobility specifications and use case debates rage on, mobile service providers aren’t standing still on the current 4G connectivity standard and…
Could Telecom’s Fixed Wireless 5G Eat Cable?
BARCELONA – T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray on Monday scoffed at the idea that fixed wireless could potentially cannibalize classic cable in the home, but not everyone at Mobile World Congress shares that view. According to Cambridge Broadband Networks (CBNL) founder and CTO John Naylon, it’s entirely possible – likely even – that fixed wireless will…
Splitting, Slicing, and Disaggregating the RAN towards 5G
While 5G specifications are under development and mobile core network virtualization is progressing, the industry is working on Radio Access Network (RAN) infrastructure enhancements for significantly better modularity and flexibility. At this point, it’s pretty clear across the industry that 5G infrastructure will adopt SDN and NFV technologies. But what additional enhancements on top of…
Nokia Touts “Anyhaul” Solutions for 5G Ahead of MWC
Nokia on Thursday unveiled a new suite of mobile transport products just ahead of Mobile World Congress next week, including what it dubbed “anyhaul” solutions for 5G. The rollout is part of Nokia’s effort to get in on the ground floor with next-generation SDN and virtualization. The new products in the mobile transport space include…
Here’s What’s Coming at MWC: Keynotes, 5G Demos, and Other Big Reveals
Mobile World Congress is coming up just around the corner and it promises yet another jam-packed lineup of speakers, demos, and big reveals. On the show stage will be a number of notable names in wireless, including AT&T Entertainment Group CEO John Stankey, European Commission VP for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip, Huawei Rotating…
Nokia Touts New 4.5G, 4.9G Tech Ahead of MWC
Nokia on Monday fleshed out the next step in its path to 5G, announcing its performance-enhancing 4.9G technology will be available by the end of this year. According to Nokia, 4.9G will include its AirScale massive MIMO Adaptive Antenna technology, which is capable of increasing cell capacity by up to five times. Used alongside 3D…
Detailed Modeling Approaches More Important Than Ever in 5G’s MIMO-Heavy World
Old school equation-based theoretical modeling techniques are falling out of favor as carriers move to divine in detail just how their forthcoming 5G systems will work in the real world. According to Director of Business Development Michael Hicks and Technical Manager Tarun Chawla of software simulation company Remcom, the complexities of 5G – including the…
Introducing the Smallest Wave Springs on the Market
The question you are asking should not be how many miles did I ride or how many steps did I take, but “how did someone make a wave spring that small?” As engineers around the world design smaller and smaller assemblies, the question becomes, where can I find the compact components to support my designs?…
Verizon, CCA Battle Over In-Band Aggregation Limits for 5G Spectrum
Wireless giant Verizon is in a tug-of-war with the Competitive Carriers Association over whether the FCC should implement an in-band aggregation limit for millimeter wave 5G spectrum. In a Tuesday filing, Verizon urged the Commission to reject CCA’s assertion that the FCC needs to adopt spectrum aggregation limits in each of the recently designated 5G…
FCC Settlement Gives Straight Path 12 Months to Offload Its 5G Spectrum
Straight Path Communications has 12 months to offload its massive reserve of 28 GHz and 39 GHz spectrum or else face a huge fine under the terms of a Thursday settlement with the FCC. Straight Path revealed in a press release it has agreed to pay $15 million over the next nine months and return 93 of…
CCA Pushes FCC to Deny Boeing Plan for Satellite Service on 5G Spectrum
The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) on Thursday pushed the FCC to shoot down a request from Boeing to deploy a satellite system using millimeter wave spectrum earmarked for 5G. In an application filed in June, Boeing asked the FCC to approve its plan to launch a low Earth orbit NGSO fixed satellite service (FSS) system…
EU’s Vestager Touts Importance of Fair Patents for 5G, IoT
Patent holders are going to have to play nice for the 5G world to succeed. That was the message delivered by European Union competition commission Margrethe Vestager in Brussels Monday at the second annual Chillin’ Competition conference. According to Vestager, the European Commission has a duty to intercede to defend competition and the rights of…
The benefits of embedding HMI in near edge devices
Compact HMI software can be integrated into near-edge devices to add IIoT connectivity and other functions. Scott Kortier, InduSoft Web Studio Senior Technical Engineer at Wonderware by Schneider Electric Machine builders and OEMs often provide human machine interface (HMI) functions with a separate component, either a PC-based HMI or an embedded HMI. In either case,…
World First Demonstration Of Virtualised 5G Architecture
The University of Surrey’s 5GIC (part of the Institute for Communications Systems) has – for the first time worldwide – produced a full demonstration of its FDC, which points to a significant reduction in deployment, optimisation and upgrade costs for network operators. The FDC was demonstrated over LTE-A (an advanced version of the Long Term…
Verizon Pushes FCC to Move on Additional High-Frequency Bands for 5G
It seems 3.85 GHz was a nice starter, but isn’t nearly enough high-frequency 5G spectrum for Verizon’s liking. The carrier in a recent filing urged the FCC to swiftly move forward with its plan to open up additional high-frequency spectrum for 5G, asking the commission to focus on bands that are near the 28 GHz…
Wheeler Hammers Need for “A Lot More Backhaul,” BDS Competition for 5G
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on Thursday hammered home the need for “a lot more backhaul” to support 5G networks in a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. According to Wheeler, Business Data Services (BDS) – formerly known as Special Access – will be crucial to provide the dedicated access wireless…
Nokia Introduces 4.9G as Next Incremental Step to 5G
What comes after 4.5G? If you said 5G, then you’re wrong – at least, according to Nokia’s plans. Alongside the unveiling of its 4.5G Pro technology, Nokia on Thursday introduced the concept of 4.9G, a new next step in the network evolution to 5G. “While the ever-connected world of people and IoT drives huge data…
AT&T Labs Aims to Test 3.5 GHz Non-Line-of-Sight 5G Antenna System
AT&T Labs is hoping to evaluate the non-line-of-sight performance of a new integrated adaptive antenna system as part of its latest round of 5G radio testing. According to an experimental application filed with the FCC on Tuesday, the tests would be conducted on 3.5 GHz spectrum via the use of “microwave radio and digital communications…
Ericsson Launching Commercial 5G Radio in 2017
Ericsson on Wednesday announced plans to launch what it called the world’s first commercial 5G radio for massive and multi-user MIMO next year. Dubbed the AIR 6468, the new radio offers a mix of advanced antennas and steerable ports to enable beamforming, Massive MIMO and multi-user MIMO. According to the company, the AIR 6468 will…