Swisscom connected the Qualcomm demo phone in the picture on the air on November 8. Ted Rappaport promised it would be 5G phones for Xmas. Others agreed but they would be few, perhaps only a few dozen prototypes. In this photo, the unit looks thicker than in the first photo from Qualcomm.
A test network is live in Burgdorf, Lucerne, Zurich, Berne, Lausanne and Geneva. They want to go to 60 cities in 2019. I believe it is all 3.5 GHz. They say latency is 25 ms. Armin Schädeli, Deputy Head of Media Relations, emailed me in November:
The speed of the Smartphone-Prototype was 1 Gibt/s:
The latter is not true in the real world, where 3.5 speeds will normally be about a third of a gig.
According to Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, there will be a few 5G phones before the second half of 2019 or later. Swisscom confirms that below. 5G phones require state of the art 7 nm production. At TSMC, Apple has bought 75% of the 7nm capacity and much of 2019 is so sold out. Samsung is over-booked and Intel a year behind. The chips are ready or close but there is no place to produce them.
I've asked what speed was reached in this demonstration. I'm not sure the test is using the full 100 MHz expected for most 3.5 GHz rollouts. Note: Name of Swisscom spokesman added in 2019 for reference.
Swisscom shows the world's first 5G smartphone prototype in the 5G network
Bern, 08. November 2018
The 5G expansion is progressing. Since today, the network is also live in Lucerne, Bern, Geneva and Zurich on a test frequency live - to Burgdorf. The 5G technology is developing rapidly. Urs Schaeppi, CEO of Swisscom says: "One year ago, together with Ericsson, we showed our first laboratory applications and today we take the next step to present a 5G smartphone prototype under real conditions on our 5G network for the first time." In 2019, Swisscom is planning selective expansion in 60 cities and municipalities throughout Switzerland. Arun Bansal, President Europe and Latin America of Ericsson says: "As a strategic partner, we are proud to support Swisscom in their ambitious 5G expansion by jointly accelerating expansion in Switzerland and preparing industries for 5G applications,
Premiere: smartphone live in the 5G network
The development is also reflected in the devices: One year ago, 5G testers weighed one ton and weighed one cubic meter. For the first time, Swisscom will be presenting handy 5G devices: a smartphone prototype from Qualcomm and a mobile hotspot from the Taiwanese manufacturer Wistron NeWeb Corporation. Swisscom successfully connected the two devices to their 5G live network in Lucerne outside of a laboratory environment. Cristiano Amon, president of Qualcomm Incorporated says, "We are proud to announce today a live 5G connection with Swisscom, WNC and Ericsson, the world's first 5G NR OTA connection between devices and a live network at one 3.5GHz spectrum and marks an important milestone for the mobile industry in Europe, which will help
This chipset will soon be installed in the first 5G smartphones. Urs Schaeppi, CEO of Swisscom, underlines the importance: "We are committed to technology leadership and the network is future-relevant for Switzerland as an innovation location." The 5G-enabled smartphone is still not commercially available. Experts expect the first 5G smartphones will be launched in the summer of 2019. First industrial applications have been developed that demonstrate the potential of 5G.
Swisscom expands 5G network throughout Switzerland
Swisscom expands the 5G network for all, not just in cities, but also in rural areas and tourism regions. Urs Schaeppi says, "Many applications are emerging yet they are stuck in their infancy When 3G was asked at that time, who ever need mobile Internet Today we know mobile applications on 3 and 4G have changed our lives significantly With 5G we experience..?. now the same moment. " Swisscom is shaping 5G development and is actively working on standardization in international committees. Worldwide, countries and telecommunications providers are presenting ambitious 5G expansion plans. In Switzerland, on the other hand, the comparatively restrictive NISV limits from 1999 are slowing down the pace of nationwide and economic introduction. Politics and administration are suspended,
Armin Schädeli
Deputy Head of Media Relations
