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Verizon Completes Its Radio Specs for 5G, Pushing Its Agenda For Global Standard Down the Line (cnet.com)

Roger Cheng, reporting for CNET: The reality of 5G, wireless connectivity that's faster than our speediest home internet service, is years away. But that isn't stopping Verizon from making its presence felt now. The nation's largest wireless carrier said Monday it has worked out the radio specifications for its 5G deployment with its vendor partners, providing a common blueprint for everyone regarding the network infrastructure, processors and devices. It's a significant step on the path to 5G. And by moving quickly now, Verizon hopes to set the agenda for how the standards look, a similar strategy it took with its 4G LTE deployment. Setting the specifications not only speeds the process for its own vendors, but may influence the international community when players around the world finally begin hammering out a global standard, expected in 2020. The Federal Communications Commission is also working to free up resources to drive 5G in the US. [...] Verizon said it will begin commercially deploying its service next year.

44 comments

  1. 2020? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why does it take years to draft a standard? Lock these people in a room without food, and we'll see how fast this get completed.

    1. Re:2020? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why does it take years to draft a standard?

      It takes years because each vendor wants a "standard" established which gives them a competitive advantage over the other vendors. Even if their preferred "standard" is technically inferior - like, oh I don't know let's make something up... not being able to handle both voice and data traffic at the same time.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    2. Re:2020? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CDMA2000 was NOT technically inferior to GSM. It was light years ahead. In fact this is why EV-DO was able to be bolted on top of it to provide 3G data speeds (albeit without voice and data simultaneously). On the GSM side, carriers had to throw out their entire stack and create a whole new network to support both voice and data using CDMA technology.

      By the way, Verizon now supports voice and data simultaneously with VoLTE

    3. Re:2020? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CDMA2000 and GSM were crap from the get go

      America is so behind the times that we labeled 2g as 3g and acted like we caught up with the rest of the world

      In the mean-time S Korea has had real broadband to the phone for years and this new spec will probably not even touch it for performance

    4. Re:2020? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why does it take years to draft a standard? Lock these people in a room without food, and we'll see how fast this get completed.

      Why does it take so long to deliver an international agreement?

      Have you ever tried to get all the bickering nations of this world to agree on how to flush a commode? It's darn near impossible. /sarcasm

      Seriously, unless you want different phones an different frequency ranges in every country or continent in the world, you get countries to agree on international standards so that the phone you buy here will probably work there with nothing more than something like a SIM card swap out.

    5. Re:2020? by Nyh · · Score: 1

      Why does it take years to draft a standard?

      Because the ITU made a plan how to get to the new G5 standard:
      http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/study-groups/rsg5/rwp5d/imt-2020/Pages/default.aspx

    6. Re:2020? by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      oh I don't know let's make something up... not being able to handle both voice and data traffic at the same time.

      I don't think that existed ever. Some systems allowed that to happen by having two separate radios in the phone, not all phones had two radios, so not all phones upported data and voice at the same time.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  2. Temporal Anomaly by Mr_Blank · · Score: 1

    wireless connectivity that's faster than our speediest home internet service, is years away.

    global standard {is} expected in 2020.

    Verizon said it will begin commercially deploying its service next year.

    Either Verizon is managed by Time Lords or the company is going to deploy 5G technology before global standards are agreed.

    1. Re:Temporal Anomaly by hackwrench · · Score: 1

      I think one of the other posts may have the answer Verizon's 5G is the rest of the world's 4G. Or my guess, Verizon is branding the service it is going to provide over the freed analog TV frequencies because in Murika, words don't have to mean anything anymore, and coming soon to a spelling bee near you are the words Disney, Verizon, and Scripps.

  3. What's the use? by PhantomHarlock · · Score: 2

    What good does extra speed do when there are very low data caps, at least here in the US?

    Right now the typical account gievs you 1 - 3 GB per month. Pretty easy to burn though in no time watching a few videos.

    Their new account tier 'adjustments' announced a few days ago change nothing.

    If higher speeds are to be useful, and mobile streaming is to be useful, they need to do away with the data caps again. Right now we're starting to see a very non-neutrality focusd solution where certain companies streaming services are exempt from the data count. This is a problem when the little indie streaming station I want to listen to is not included. Listener supported indie radio outlets like somaFM.com and Radio Paradise are left out in the cold, shutting out diversity. I can't listen to them in my car, only at home.

    Many people feel that data caps are strictly a business decision, and not a technical issue. Which means that there is not enough competition in the cellular wireless sphere. The barrier to entry in this market is very high so it's not surprising.

    1. Re:What's the use? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      certain... streaming services are exempt... the little indie streaming station... is not included... I can't listen to them in my car, only at home.

      I still don't understand why people feel the need to replicate in packet data services something that already exists in two really great forms better suited to portable music listening - your radio and your podcast when synced locally as cached music. Or even load your own music up on the device you're already carrying with you everywhere, use some of those gigs of storage for it!

    2. Re:What's the use? by known_coward_69 · · Score: 1

      my first cell phone i had 450 monthly minutes and no texting. each one was like $.25. i remember the days when monthly plans only had like 60 minutes and you drive 5 minutes away from home and you would be roaming and paying a lot more. another few years and data will drop in price

    3. Re:What's the use? by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      Well since they are showing speeds in the Gbps so you could technically blow your data cap in less than a minute.

    4. Re:What's the use? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Newer standards provide more efficient use of the radio spectrum allowing carriers to raise their data caps

    5. Re:What's the use? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not the only thing I'd be blowing in less than a minute.

    6. Re:What's the use? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not the only thing I'd be blowing in less than a minute.

      Ahh.. so you are a "minuteman" eh?

    7. Re:What's the use? by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      Plug for Google fi: $0.01/MB flat data rate, no minimums, no caps - use no data, pay nothing for data, otherwise pay for what you use. If you're really sucking more than 10GB per month, every month, through your phone, I suppose unlimited data at $100/month makes sense, otherwise... why?

      I really don't want to hear about 5G in marketing, I will actively ridicule any company that "markets" an up-coming 5G network when they can't even deliver reliable 3G data service to so many (populated) areas of the continental U.S.

    8. Re: What's the use? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FTFY: new standards have higher speeds, allowing Verizon to charge you even more for "overages".

    9. Re:What's the use? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even if they don't increase the caps, higher speeds reduce congestion and increase battery life.

    10. Re:What's the use? by Rhambus · · Score: 1

      Man, you people are using the wrong carriers, and I guess availability also may have a lot to do with it. I used to be on AT&T with my aunt and even though we had a data plan, I kind of felt like we didn't even have any data because with her soaking up most of the data (no complaints here because it is her account with me as an add on, but that's just the way it seemed) and then adding her grand daughter to the plan who seemed to do nothing but stream YouTube videos and other stuff it seemed like we hit our data cap before I even really got to do much with the data on my phone. I now have a 6 GB data plan with T-Mobile with data stash and Binge On, and Music Freedom, and I barely use any of my data, and it's only $65 a month for unlimited talk, text and 6 GB of data, and Binge On and Music Freedom are free as part of my plan. The only reason I have 6 GB is because that is the minimum qualifying plan where you can use Binge On. I can stream YouTube, Netflix, Hulu and just about every other video streaming service you can think of without even touching my 6 GB of high speed data I get every month. Thanks to Binge On and Music Freedom I've used 20 MB of my 6 GB of allowed high speed data so far. It's really nice being able to sit in my car and stream all the YouTube videos I want without touching my allotted high speed data. We have wifi at work so really the only time data gets touched on my plan is really when I'm browsing Facebook or checking out reddit while sitting around in my car.

    11. Re:What's the use? by Rhambus · · Score: 1

      That's... not a very good rate. $61.44 for 6 GB of data, when my current plan gives me 6 GB of data for $15.

    12. Re: What's the use? by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Um, "overage" costs the same as the normal data cost on Verizon. Not sure what you have been exposed to, but I don't think $10/GB is terribly expensive, as it is the same rate at least with Google Fi.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  4. Re:Fuck Verizon by known_coward_69 · · Score: 1

    you have t-mobile for that. maybe sprint too, but there is no way i'd ever be a sprint customer

  5. Like Every Other Advance We Take For Granted Now by retroworks · · Score: 1

    Lads, this is the free market at work. Verizon is using stockholder investments to hire people to scope out the next sector. So long as they have competition, they will raise data caps to account for the new bandwidth (unless it's a total fail - no one finds it adds value, and the stock will drop). All the analog spectrum formerly used to send TV shows like "Beverly Hillbillies" and "Gilligan's Island" could perhaps be better managed, but probably not better managed by cantankerous commenters who see every investment by every mulitinational corporation to be doomed from the start.

    Anticipating the curmudgeon lad who says that the bandwidth will increase exponentially more for the 1%, I say I care about MY bandwidth yesterday, today, and tomorrow, more than I care how much faster someone else obtains it.

    --
    Gently reply
  6. Don't use verizon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Who cares? They are one of the most corrupt companies in the world and will gouge the shit out of this.

    "You can now download at 1gbps on your phone!! but be careful not to go over your 2gb data plan"

    T-mobile 4 life

  7. Deja Vu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's KFlex, v90 all over again!

  8. Re:Fuck Verizon by sims+2 · · Score: 1

    Verizon still allows unlimited data to exist which is much nicer than what sprint did imho. (IIRC you got canceled outright or switched to a metered plan and billed overage)

    Verizon also appears to allow new unlimited lines on enterprise accounts
    although grandfathered voice/data and data only plans are much cheaper.

    Att also has some true unlimited plans that still exist (the ipad unlimited plans)

    AFAIK there are no true unlimited plans in existence on any other providers.

    --
    Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
  9. Re:Fuck Verizon by AvitarX · · Score: 1

    I have T-mobile, I can't speak to how "true unlimited" my plan is, but I regularly break 10Gb, and have broken 20 (new phone, updated all of my audio content, and watched some movies on vacation).

    I can only tether a few Gb though, so in that sense I guess it's not true.

    --
    Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
  10. Rural broadband, but with caps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This will be the stake in the heart of DSL. They'll offer it as a speed 'upgrade', but with stupid data caps, weird NAT/port restrictions, time-of-day QoS, and other shenanigans. It will complete the Verizon transformation of the Internet into a media delivery platform and nothing else.

  11. Re:Fuck Verizon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I thought Verizon had competition. I didn't realize they were the only carrier in the states. Oh wait... you have an agenda. I get it now. Nevermind, carry on.

  12. US GOV SPY FRIENDLY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck Verizon. Keep the stuff that isn't spyware until better that isn't spyware comes along. Boycott surveillance.

  13. Re:Fuck Verizon by sims+2 · · Score: 1

    Well i'm pretty sure verizons grandfathered plans are true unlimited as the mifi i'm using to post this is sitting at 76GB and the one I use for internet at home is sitting at 330GB and the bill doesn't reset until the 13th

    With that kind of usage I'm pretty sure i'd have gotten a phone call or at the very least a stern letter if it wasn't unlimited.

    last I checked tmobile didn't offer unlimited plans for mifi's and even if they did most places have a cap or throttle after 20GB or so iirc tmobile hits you at 26GB and att hits you at 22GB

    --
    Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
  14. Re:Like Every Other Advance We Take For Granted No by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

    I don't think anybody's too worried about the 1% getting better bandwidth... would be interesting if there were a commercial avenue to tap into unused _military_ spectrum for better coverage.

  15. Re: Like Every Other Advance We Take For Granted N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Unused" military spectrum is going to cost you hundreds of billions of dollars in the best case, as we have to redesign equipment to fit into the narrower spectrum, and the cost of having been pushed out of about half of the spectrum we had in the '80s has already cost over a trillion dollars (1996 dollars). Of course e worst consequence is that we are absolutely incapable to match the Russians radio-electronic combat capabilities and the Chinese are catching up fast, but ignore that.

  16. Re:Fuck Verizon by hackwrench · · Score: 1

    Unlike the union, where you're apparently from, there is no unified market called the states. Sure, it sounds like it should be, but it isn't. There's a unified currency, and well, there's a unified currency. If you get sick outside your home state, not all health insurance plans will cover that. An insurance plan, you ask. How do I explain the concept of non-universal coverage... eh, I'm bored anyways. Nevermind.

  17. Re:Like Every Other Advance We Take For Granted No by hackwrench · · Score: 1

    I guess you understood "radio specs" to mean something different than everyone else here. Not that I'm convinced as to what degree everyone else has that understanding. As far as I can tell, this likely means that Verizon has a specification for the radio hardware that works on the frequencies it bought ready to go for phone manufacturers who want to sell phones that will work on Verizon's network that it will brand 5G in the United States. I'm not sure what the "agenda for global standard" stuff is about.

  18. Deciding things. by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    Deciding what the specs are before they are internationally standardized is the most effective way of ending up out of step with the rest of the world. The US has proved very, very effective at that over the years.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  19. Re:Like Every Other Advance We Take For Granted No by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    >I'm not sure what the "agenda for global standard" stuff is about.

    Global spectrum harmonization. Well actually not. This will do nothing to promote global spectrum harmonization.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  20. Verizon and international standards. Ha! by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 1

    It seems that Verizon only talks about international standards when it's trying to impose its will on others. To actually follow global standards is another thing entirely. In the heady cash-by-forklift times of the early Iraq occupation, Verizon was almost given the contract to do Iraq's cellular network... in CDMA, of course. Nevermind that every other country in the region was GSM. I think this says a lot about how Verizon thinks about standards.

  21. CDMA by ThatsNotPudding · · Score: 1

    If the FCC had any stones, they would ban any CDMA hardware for 5G that isn't sim card based. Indefensible. The service should be the card, not the whole damn handset. Even an environmental impact argument could be made against Verizon and their locked, proprietary hardware.

    1. Re:CDMA by NJRoadfan · · Score: 1

      All of Verizon's LTE phones (which also have CDMA radios) use SIM cards.

  22. Re:Fuck Verizon by AvitarX · · Score: 1

    I do not believe any tethering is allowed as unlimited with Tmobile.

    Only for phone plans on the phone itself.

    and clearly I'm nowhere near in usage to where you are...

    --
    Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg