Verizon announced last week that a collection of tech and telecom giants are partnering to help develop commercial use of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service.
The collaborative effort to advance the use of 4G LTE technology on the 3.5 GHz spectrum is housed at Verizon’s Irving, Texas, complex and also includes Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm, Google, Corning and Federated Wireless.
Officials said Federated Wireless and Google provided Spectrum Access System prioritization, and that the end-to-end system testing will verify that their algorithms “are consistently providing the best channel match from the SAS database.”
The tests, which began in February and will continue during the next several weeks, will also ensure interoperability between infrastructure providers and seamless spectrum and mobility handoffs. They will also evaluate data rates, modulations and customer experiences.
Verizon said it could offer more capacity — including higher peak speeds and faster throughput — by using LTE Advanced technology and carrier aggregation in the shared spectrum.
“These trials are critical to stress test the full system,” Verizon VP of technology development and planning Bill Stone said in a statement. “There are many players in the CBRS ecosystem and these successful trials ensure all the various parts perform together as an end-to-end system for our customers’ benefit.”
The Federal Communications Commission is currently considering changes to regulations governing the CBRS band, which is considered important to forthcoming 5G networks.
The partner companies said equipment tested this spring will be submitted to the FCC for certification in preparation for commercial deployments. Participants also set up private LTE testing sites, designed to serve enterprise customers, using CBRS spectrum.