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T-Mobile, Ericsson Sign $3.5 Billion 5G Agreement (zdnet.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the gotta-spend-money-to-make-money dept.

T-Mobile and Ericsson have signed a multi-year $3.5 billion agreement to build out T-Mobile's 5G infrastructure. The telecommunications company "will deploy Ericsson's Radio System portfolio, including 5G New Radio and NR hardware and software compliant with 3GPP standards," reports ZDNet. From the report: According to the companies, the contract also encompasses Ericsson's digital services solutions, including dynamic orchestration, business support systems or BSS, and Ericsson Cloud Core. Meanwhile, T-Mobile's already installed base of Ericsson Radio System radios will be able to run 5G NR technology via remote software installation. T-Mobile and Ericsson rival Nokia also announced a $3.5 billion 5G deal back in July. Add it up and T-Mobile is investing $7 billion in 5G between the two companies. As part the Nokia agreement, T-Mobile said it would use Nokia's 5G network technology including software, services and hardware. The carrier also said Nokia would help make its "600 MHz and 28 GHz millimeter wave 5G capabilities compliant with 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) standards" -- echoing its current plans with Ericsson. In other 5G-related news, Verizon will begin offering installation of its 5G home broadband in select markets on October 1st. "Customers [in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento] will be able to begin ordering service once the installation is complete, with pricing set at $50 for Verizon Wireless customers and $70 for non-VZW customers," reports PhoneDog. Network speeds are expected to be around 300Mbps, with peak speeds nearing 1Gbps. There will also be no data caps.

16 comments

  1. I'M WAITING FOR 6G by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because, it's 1 more better!

    1. Re:I'M WAITING FOR 6G by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      6G XLTE. Due 2020. When Trump is in stir, for his own safety.

    2. Re:I'M WAITING FOR 6G by phalse+phace · · Score: 1

      I'M WAITING FOR 6G

      Because, it's 1 more better!

      No no. No. Not 6G. 7G is where it's at.

      7's the key number. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 7 Dwarves. 7, man. That's the number.

      7 chipmunks twirlin' on a branch, eatin' lots of sunflowers on my uncle's ranch. You know that old children's tale from the sea. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby.

  2. Not surprising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    nor that they buy some of the tech from Nokia. Together with Ericsson, they are the world leaders in telecom. Very impressive for two countries with less than 20M citizens among them.

  3. Verizon 5G by Only+Time+Will+Tell · · Score: 2

    I'll be curious if people are able to see those speeds in the real world. The 5G signals are susceptible to weather and obstruction blocking and I'd be worried that you might have a lot of variability in the signal. I'd still prefer a hard-wired fiber line that can do 1Gb than worrying my internet will drop out everytime it rains.

    1. Re:Verizon 5G by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I'd still prefer a hard-wired fiber line that can do 1Gb than worrying my internet will drop out everytime it rains.

      I'd prefer a hard-wired copper line that can do 10 Mbps over a cellular connection that's capped to 18GB/mo before you start paying per-GB.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  4. 5G by nasch · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So still not as good as 4G, which is specified as capable of 1Gpbs. Maybe 6G will finally equal what 4G was supposed to be.

  5. just a reminder by slashmydots · · Score: 1

    Just popped in with a friendly reminder that the effective range of 5G is 1,500 fee according to most sources. My router can get farther than that and it's got a 100 megabit connection tied to it. I heard they'd have to put a tower on just about every corner.

    1. Re:just a reminder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that the whole idea, 5g everywhere but low power including our bathrooms so the abc could watch us

    2. Re:just a reminder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      5G will use a number of different frequency bands, with varying ranges, depending on conditions. If you are far away you might not get the top throughput rate, but you'll still have a connection. You are completely correct that the network density will have to be increased, but 5G networks will also have a more heterogenous structure than 4G, which means that you can fill in gaps with smaller sites rather than only having to rely on large macro sites.

    3. Re:just a reminder by lexman098 · · Score: 1

      I heard they'd have to put a tower on just about every corner.

      That's ultimately the goal (long term). We're not talking about big cell towers though. These are small cells and pico cells that can be mounted on roofs and lamp posts etc.

  6. 5G Cancer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm moving to the countryside once 5G drops. The gigahurts waves will be giving everyone cancer en masse.

    Enjoy your cancer!

  7. Sprint also uses Ericsson by ksw_92 · · Score: 1

    This is just further alignment of services for the S/TMUS merger, nothing more. Ericsson was tapped by Sprint years ago to build out and maintain their networks.