Verizon has selected Ericsson to provide networking equipment for their commercial 5G launch. Verizon will deploy the pre-standard 5G commercial radio network and the 5G Core network in select markets in second half of 2018.

Ericsson will provide 5G Core network, 5G Radio Access Network (RAN), transport and associated services. Companies expect pre-standard deployment to pave the way for accelerated 5G commercialization of 3GPP-standards based solutions.

During the past year, Ericsson and Verizon have conducted fixed-wireless 5G trials using mmWave spectrum in multiple cities and residential neighborhoods with different geographies and housing densities. 

These trials have also been instrumental in understanding 5G technologies and mmWave propagation used in the Verizon 5GTF and the coming 3GPP 5G NR standard. These new technologies are expected to be critical in meeting the increasing connectivity requirements for emerging, mobile and fixed wireless, consumer broadband experiences, such as streaming high-definition video, immersive virtual/augmented reality, and connected cloud computing.