{"id":5683,"date":"2022-01-23T15:16:05","date_gmt":"2022-01-23T15:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/23\/u-s-c-band-5g-rollout-a-glimpse-of-whats-coming-in-canada\/"},"modified":"2022-01-23T15:16:05","modified_gmt":"2022-01-23T15:16:05","slug":"u-s-c-band-5g-rollout-a-glimpse-of-whats-coming-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/23\/u-s-c-band-5g-rollout-a-glimpse-of-whats-coming-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. C-band 5G rollout a glimpse of what’s coming in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\n
<\/p>\n

\n

If you\u2019ve paid much attention to U.S. telecom news (or any news, really) this week, you may have seen stories about the release of \u201cC-band 5G\u201d in the U.S.<\/p>\n

For Canadians, C-band 5G availability in the U.S. really doesn\u2019t mean much. However, it\u2019s noteworthy as a possible glimpse at what the roll-out of the recently-auctioned 3,500MHz spectrum might be like in Canada. C-band is a broad range of radio wave frequencies between 4GHz and 8GHz (or 4,000MHz and 8,000MHz). In the U.S. specifically, C-band often refers to about 3,700MHz to 4,200MHz and, more specifically, the 3,700MHz to 3,980MHz spectrum auctioned off in 2020<\/a> (via PC Mag<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t picked up on it yet, that makes the recently-enabled U.S. C-band 5G very similar to the 3,500MHz spectrum auctioned in Canada in 2021<\/a>. (The Canadian government also recently started taking input on 3,800MHz spectrum<\/a>).<\/p>\n

What\u2019s important about 3,500MHz spectrum and other frequencies in C-band is they make up the core of mid-band (also called \u2018Sub-6<\/a>\u2018) 5G. Spectrum in this range will be key to differentiating from current 4G networks, with use spectrum that\u2019s similar to low-band 5G \u2014 that\u2019s what\u2019s primarily available in Canada right now. It also differs from high-band 5G, or \u2018mmWave,\u2019 which offers much higher speeds over a significantly shorter range. High-band 5G is also worse at penetrating objects, meaning things like walls and trees can more easily disrupt signals at these frequencies.<\/p>\n

Put another way, mid-band 5G is the \u201cjust right\u201d spectrum that can offer higher data speeds compared to 4G without suffering from the same range issues as mmWave. That\u2019s not to say mmWave doesn\u2019t have a place \u2014 it certainly does! \u2014 but it\u2019s less applicable outside of dense urban areas.<\/p>\n

Early U.S. tests show promising results, with speeds improving<\/h2>\n

As Verizon<\/a> and AT&T<\/a> flipped the switch on C-band in the U.S. on January 19th, reports started showing promising results. In the days following, results improved as well<\/a>. Users were clocking speeds of 200-400Mbps, with some as high as 500-800Mbps.<\/p>\n

Overall, it\u2019s impressive to see, especially in comparison to U.S. 4G speeds. Further, the U.S. prioritized mmWave ahead of mid-band, which saw many cities light up ultra-fast 5G networks with extremely inconsistent availability. C-band has started to even out inconsistencies in some areas, although there\u2019s still a way to go.<\/p>\n

However, as with any launch, not everything is great. U.S. carriers have a limited list of phones that support the new C-band. Android Police<\/em><\/a> has put together an excellent round-up of supported devices, which more-or-less includes the latest flagships from Apple, Samsung, and Google (Verizon\u2019s Pixel 6 and 6 Pro support is \u2018coming soon\u2019).<\/p>\n

There was also the last-minute issue with airports after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned of a \u201ccatastrophic disruption\u201d caused by 5G<\/a>. In short, concerns over interference between the new 5G frequencies and radar altimeters<\/a> (which use similar frequencies to determine plane altitude and are critical in landing planes) resulted in delays. Various solutions have been put in place, including limiting 5G use around airports and implementing a spectrum \u2018buffer\u2019 between what radar altimeters use and what\u2019s available from 5G.<\/p>\n

For those concerned about 3,500MHz spectrum and airports in Canada, it\u2019s worth noting the government already implemented restrictions on using the spectrum around airports<\/a> \u2014 much to the frustration of carriers, who complained that the restrictions reduced the value of the spectrum purchased at auction.<\/p>\n

So, what does all this mean for Canada? Well, first, it likely means that Canadians can expect some nice network performance boosts if they have a 5G-capable device once carriers enable 3,500MHz spectrum. There may also need to be some software patches rolled out to phones before they can take full advantage of the new spectrum. And there may also be surprise delays, although we won\u2019t know until we get closer. Ultimately, U.S. C-band is a glimpse of what\u2019s coming in Canada and may be a good reason to get excited about 5G.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n