Zyxel, reports that prototypes of its 5G outdoor devices will be ready as early as August 2019. At the 2019 MVNO World Congress Forum held in late May in Amsterdam, the public was already introduced to samples of devices from the LTE 5G product portfolio.
Zyxel is working closely with leading module manufacturer Quectel to launch 5G products and customers will receive prototypes of 5G C-Band devices for outdoor deployment as early as August 2019. The release of these prototypes will be the first phase of Zyxel’s 5G product launch and will provide support for C-Band frequency bands up to 6 GHz. Zyxel will release 5G indoor and outdoor products with C-band and mmWave support in the next phase.
Benefits of 5G
5G is one of the hottest topics today, and the technology is expected to replace fixed-line Internet access with powerful wireless connectivity. The main benefits of 5G are high data speeds and reduced latency. While data latency is 50 to 100 milliseconds with 4G, it can drop to less than 1 millisecond with 5G under ideal conditions.
With significant gains in performance, spectrum efficiency and reduced latency over the current LTE standard, Zyxel’s 5G products can significantly improve the speed and reliability of 5G connections to street devices, providing the perfect next generation of high-speed wireless access Fixed Wireless Access.
Technology Partners for 5G Products
Zyxel 5G products leverage Qualcomm’s best Snapdragon x55 chipset and Quectel module technology. The first product in our 5G product line will be outdoor-ready, even for the American climate. They will be fashionable to place on both the exterior walls of buildings and on the pole, providing the best 5G FWA connectivity.
Fixed Wireless Access – the first practical application of 5G
Fixed Wireless, which provides a replacement for wired DSL/optical Internet access, is one of the first applications of 5G in practice by cellular network operators, mobile virtual network operators MVNOs and service providers. Outdoor 5G devices are best suited to maximize the speed and minimal latency benefits of 5G, which is why Zyxel will be the first to bring these products to market as part of its 5G development strategy, as 5G midrange has less penetration into homes and windows than LTE low frequencies.
The first phase of Zyxel’s 5G product rollout will begin in summer 2019. The second phase, which will begin in late 2020, will take advantage of mmWave’s product spectrum, which can radically improve data speeds over using a fixed 10G optical line.
When can we expect these prototypes to be released as commercial products?