T-Mobile US has achieved the world’s first low-band 5G data session on a commercial 5G modem.
T-Mobile’s engineers conducted the data session in its lab in Bellevue, Washington on the 600 MHz band. T-Mobile is using 600 MHz spectrum to roll out nationwide 5G in the U.S. Qualcomm Technologies and Ericsson were partners.
Engineers at T-Mobile completed the data session on a mobile test device powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G modem, RF transceiver and RF Front-End (RFFE) solution, as well as commercial 5G radios from Ericsson.
The demonstration is an important step toward the launch of the first commercial 5G network using low-band spectrum, said Neville Ray, chief technology officer at T-Mobile.
T-Mobile’s 600 MHz spectrum will offer several unique advantages as the foundation for its 5G network, including wider coverage area and deeper signal penetration in buildings than millimeter wave spectrum.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 5G modem offers advanced multi-mode support for virtually any combination of spectrum bands and modes, including mmWave, sub-6 GHz, standalone and non-standalone, and more.
“Today’s data call marks a significant milestone in 5G’s ongoing rollout across the United States, paving the way for the launch of commercial networks and devices on low-band FDD spectrum,” said Cristiano Amon, president of Qualcomm.
“Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies have tested and commercialized 5G globally across different spectrum bands, and together with T-Mobile we have now reached another major milestone as we are enabling 5G on low bands,” said Fredrik Jejdling, head of business area networks at Ericsson.
