T-Mobile USA has announced that the operator has made successful standalone end-to-end 5G data session on a multi-vendor 5G next-generation radio and core network, an important step in realizing the true potential of 5G.

Ericsson will showcase activation of Ericsson Spectrum Sharing with an Intel 5G device at Mobile World Congress 2019. The demo will show that 4G and 5G traffic can run simultaneously on the same frequency carrier.  

5G has gathered momentum globally as per latest GSA report. 201 operators, in 83 countries are currently investing in 5G mobile and 5G FWA networks, ~30% increase since mid-2018. Level of commitments include tests, trials, planned and pilot deployments, and launches.

U.S. carrier T-Mobile has made a successful 5G data call and video call on 600 MHz both on a live commercial network in partnership with Ericsson and Intel. T-Mobile also accomplished a tri-band 5G video call with three users on different spectrum bands – 600 MHz, 28 GHz and 39 GHz.

Mitsubishi Electric and NTT DOCOMO have demonstrated 5G 27Gbps and 25Gbps maximum throughputs via one mobile terminal over communication distances of 10m and 100m, respectively, using the 28GHz radio frequency. 

T-Mobile and Ericsson have signed a multi-year, $3.5 billion contract to support T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network deployment. Under the deal, Ericsson will provide T-Mobile with the latest 5G New Radio (NR) hardware and software compliant with 3GPP standards.

AT&T plans to offer 5G services to customers in a dozen cities this year and is adding Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C. and Oklahoma City as the next three identified cities for its 5G plan. These cities join previously announced cities of Dallas, Atlanta, and Waco. 

Nokia and dtac are deploying the commercial 4G TDD network in Thailand. Once completed, dtac TURBO users on the 2300 MHz spectrum operated in cooperation with TOT will get superior mobile broadband speeds. The network is being deployed in the Northeast, North and South of Thailand, including major provinces such as Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, and Phuket.

Finnish operator Elisa has announced the launch of commercial 5G network and has started selling 5G subscriptions. The company has started 5G services in Tampere and Tallinn. The operator is claiming to be the first operator to launch 5G services across the globe.

Verizon plans to deploy 5G technology in Los Angeles starting in the fourth quarter of 2018. Los Angeles is the second city Verizon has identified as part of its 3-5 market 5G deployment plans, first announced in November 2017. Verizon previously announced Sacramento would be a 5G city.

As part of 5G Evolution strategy, AT&T continues to evolve it's LTE network and has announced  117 new markets which will have theoretical peak speeds of up to 400 megabits per second for capable devices using  LTE Advanced features like 256 QAM, 4x4 MIMO, and 3-way carrier aggregation.