Page 100 - SAMENA Trends - October 2019

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Spark, Vodafone NZ Introduce 5G Service

New Zealand’s two largest operators will be the primary spectrum band for mass Vodafone New Zealand started 5G testing
Spark and Vodafone kicked off limited 5G deployment of 5G. Acquiring enough C band at Addington Racecourse in Christchurch,
launch and testing. Spark New Zealand spectrum is an important requirement for where a mobile cell site was upgraded
turned on 5G service in Alexandra for all wireless network operators.” The move by Nokia with 5G-enabled antennas. It
a limited number of enterprise and to switch on 5G comes as Spark completes follows tests on five sites, located in and
consumer customers, with plans to an upgrade across its wireless network, around Mangere in South Auckland. The
expand the next-generation network to with the capacity increased about 80 per operator plans to switch on its commercial
an additional five towns before the end of cent over the past two years. “For over a network in December, when it aims to have
the year and other locations in early 2020. year we’ve been working hard to prepare 100 sites around New Zealand upgraded
The operator’s 5G network in Alexandra, for 5G, including adding over 150 new to 5G. Sharina Nisha, Head of Platforms at
Central Otago, runs on the 2.6GHz band mobile sites and extensively upgrading our Vodafone New Zealand, said: “Our network
and uses Nokia’s 5G radio equipment, existing network to 4.5G, to take advantage build has been progressing well and we’re
including a smart antenna system. Mark of the more efficient use of spectrum and pleased to announce that testing for our
Beder, Spark’s technology director, said: greater capacity that 4.5G provides. We’ve first South Island 5G site is underway.”
“We’re pleased to be able to deliver 5G now reached the point where invited Nisha said it will upgrade a number of
over the 2600MHz spectrum in Alexandra customers can start experiencing some existing cell sites in Christchurch over the
as it is a great way to demonstrate the of the real benefits of 5G,” Beder said. coming months, which will include both 5G
possibilities, but our preference will always Spark continues to see 50 per cent year- and 4.5G technology installations.
be C band (3500MHz) as we believe this on-year data growth. Meanwhile rival

T-Mobile Testing 700MHz 5G in The Hague and Elsewhere

T-Mobile Netherlands says it will launch 5G 700MHz testing on 2
October in various parts of the country, having received a twelve-
month national 2×10MHz test permit plus a two-month test license
for The Hague with wider bandwidth. T-Mobile will be studying
performance of 5G 700MHz services, including interoperability
with its existing network, in cities and rural areas plus the North
Sea. The operator is also opening three 5G test environments in
The Hague: at its headquarters, in the Scheveningen district and
at the Central Innovation District. The 700MHz band is being freed
up for commercial mobile usage from the start of 2020 via the
migration of digital TV spectrum, with a license auction scheduled
for early in the year.

KPN Testing 700MHz, 3500MHz, 26GHz 5G Connections

KPN of the Netherlands has tested 3.5GHz limited indoor test usage of the 3.5GHz 5G 700MHz frequencies ‘nationwide’
5G connectivity between multiple locations, range is currently permitted as the band and intends to test ‘the first available
completing data sessions and voice/video is penciled in by the government for a handsets’ using 700MHz frequencies
calls on 5G smartphones between its 5G late 2021/early 2022 license auction but ‘soon’. The 700MHz band will be available
indoor network in the Johan Cruijff Arena doubt remains as to whether the spectrum commercially in the Netherlands from
in Amsterdam, its 5G FieldLab in the Port of will be freed up from its existing usage by early 2020 via an upcoming 5G license
Rotterdam and the KPN Technology Lab in the Joint Sigint Cyber Unit (JSCU) of the auction. KPN also says it will start 26GHz
The Hague. In the tests – using Samsung General Intelligence & Security Service 5G tests in Amsterdam in the short term.
Galaxy S10 5G, Huawei Mate 20 X and (AIVD) and Dutch Military Intelligence The government has not yet indicated a
Oppo Reno 5G smartphones – a peak & Security Service (MIVD). Additionally, timescale for issuing 26GHz 5G licenses.
download speed of 1.3Gbps was recorded. KPN’s press release adds that ‘since the
Note that in the north of the country only beginning of October’ it has been testing

100 OCTOBER 2019