US Cellular 5G Tests Show Technology’s Potential for Rural Markets

5G wireless technology could be an important technology for mid-sized and rural markets, as news about US Cellular 5G testing illustrates.

The company said it had collaborated with Nokia to test 5G and demonstrate 5G in a fixed wireless configuration. US Cellular and Nokia plan additional collaborative work and are focusing on indoor and outdoor environments using spectrum in the 28 GHz band. The companies used the spectrum through an experimental license from the Federal Communications Commission. At least one other tier two broadband provider – C Spire – also has tested 5G in a fixed configuration. That testing also used Nokia equipment in the 28 GHz band. The 28 GHz band is one of several that the FCC hopes to make available for 5G use. And it is the band that the FCC has proposed auctioning on a county by county basis – a plan that could make it economically feasible for small carriers to acquire spectrum whenever a 5G auction is held.