A total of 72 network operators are already testing 5G, almost three times the number that conducted trials during the same period last year, with 28 of them carrying out field trials. In addition, another 28 operators announced plans for 5G trials. And, most significantly, two service providers in the Middle East, Etisalat and Ooredoo, launched pre-commercial 5G services with limited availability.
Reports from ongoing 5G trials indicate that some operators are achieving high data speeds. Specifically, four operators reported speeds of 70 Gbps: Etisalat, Proximus, Telenor, and Zain. The average speed, however, is much lower, with six operators reporting speeds above 35 Gbps and another six reporting speeds of 10 Gbps.
Although the new 3GPP 5G radio specification was recently finalized, 14 network equipment manufacturers have announced their participation in 5G trials. To date, these trials have been conducted across a wide bandwidth range, from sub-3 GHz to 86 GHz. Among the operators disclosing their test spectrum, the most common wavelength is 28 GHz, with 21 of them operating, followed by the others at 15 GHz.
“Expectations for 5G are high, offering mobile operators new revenue opportunities,” says Stéphane Téral, Executive Director of Research and Analysis, Mobile Infrastructure and Carrier Economics, IHS Markit. “However, the path to full 5G adoption is complex and still evolving. Operators and infrastructure providers around the world are moving at different speeds when it comes to testing and deployment, and they need to act now to address the technological challenges.”.
“Network service providers have been following the evolution to 5G for some time now, which includes how to address technological challenges such as fixed-mobile convergence, hybrid cloud, network slicing, and increasing virtualization,” says Sameh Yamany, Chief Technology Officer of VIAVI Solutions. “Virtual testing, automation, self-optimization, and analytics will be essential to manage the increasing complexity and scale of 5G networks, while also handling the demand for high data rates, low-latency applications, and large-scale IoT services.”.
The full "State of 5G Trials" infographic is available in English here . The data was compiled from publicly available sources for informational purposes only, as part of VIAVI's practice of tracking trends to enable the development of cutting-edge solutions. The VIAVI "State of 5G Trials" serves as a companion document to the VIAVI Gigabit Monitor, a visual database of gigabit internet deployments worldwide.
