Back to top

Image: Bigstock

AT&T (T) Seeks FCC Approval for 5G Trial Using 28 & 39GHz

Read MoreHide Full Article

AT&T Inc. (T - Free Report) recently requested for Special Temporary Authority (STA) from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct 5G tests using the 28 and 39 GHz frequency bands at Hyatt hotel in Dallas.

Commencing on Feb 1, 2018, the trial will continue till Jun 1, 2018. The experiment will be conducted inside a building with concrete walls and coated glass windows. The 5G wireless link will be set up between the fixed base station and a maximum of two units of mobile user equipment (UE) located in the same room or area. The base station and user equipment will operate at 3 meters and 2 meters, respectively, above floor level. A channel sounder operating in the 28 GHz band will transmit signals received in the same area to demonstrate the millimeter wave propagation features.

In December 2017, AT&T had requested for STA from the FCC to conduct 5G tests using Ericsson’s (ERIC - Free Report) equipment, on the 3.5 GHz frequency band inside a closed building in Washington, DC. The month-long trial will also commence from Feb 1, 2018.

Notably, AT&T is gearing up for 5G network deployment and its launch. AT&T is planning to offer standards-based mobile 5G services to consumers in various U.S. markets by late 2018.  The telecom service provider claims to be the first company in the country to come up with 5G services in 2018, beating competitors — Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ - Free Report) , Sprint Corp (S - Free Report) and T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS - Free Report) — in the 5G race.

Completion of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project’s (3GPP) first implementable ‘non-standalone’ 5G New Radio (NR) specification has set the stage for the global mobile industry to initiate full-scale development of 5G NR for large-scale trials and commercial deployments in 2019.

AT&T has been working hard since 2017 and laying the foundation for mobile 5G network. The company has completed network upgradation in 23 major cities. The company ended the year with its largest 5G-fixed wireless trial in Waco, TX, in partnership with the home and lifestyle brand Magnolia, on Dec 18, 2017. The company claims it to be the largest trial in terms of mobile traffic. 

While maintaining leadership in the development and implementation of Fixed Wireless Internet, the telco is gearing up to test 5G technology with businesses of all sizes across industries to transform operations and create more entertaining experiences for customers.

Similar Trial Permit From FCC

In December 2017, T-Mobile US requested for STA from the FCC to test microwave radio spectrum bands in the range of 71-76 GHz and 81-86 GHz, in two sites in Bellevue, WA. The manufacturer of the equipment is Ceragon Networks Ltd.

In October 2017, CenturyLink sought permission from the FCC to conduct trials of fixed wireless spectrum bands in the range of 3.54-3.70 GHz frequency band. The trial was aimed to check the utilization of wireless bands to provide better broadband services and extend them to rural areas.

Zacks Rank & Price Performance

AT&T carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

AT&T portrays an impressive price performance. In the past three months, shares of the company have rallied 8.7% compared with the industry’s gain of 2.3%.

 

 

Wall Street’s Next Amazon

Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius.

Click for details >>

Published in