It looks like T-Mobile does not want to get left behind in the 5G race, as we heard how AT&T and Verizon have already rolled up their sleeves to prepare themselves to kick off 5G testing some time this year. This has led T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray to step forward and claim that T-Mobile will work alongside Nokia in order to begin their very own 5G trials – this year too, of course, in order to maintain a competitive edge.
It the previous week at T-Mobile’s conference call, CEO John Legere was not too impressed with Verizon’s claims on how fast their 5G connectivity will be, especially since the standards have not been set yet. Well, Verizon’s claim of their 5G technology trials with Samsung were said to achieve download speeds faster than 10Gbps, which included sending 4K video while moving inside a truck.
T-Mobile will “hit back” by working alongside Nokia to conduct 5G field trials in the second half of 2016 as it makes use of pre-selected spectrum in the 28GHz band, while the carrier tests out 5G components. Nokia’s part in the matter would include development of “a pre-standards 5G test network” that can be used for both lab and field trials.
Verizon might be looking at “some level of commercial deployment” as early as next year, but T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray claims that 5G enabled smartphones for consumers are still far off – with a timeline of approximately 2020 at the earliest. [Press Release]