Taking a closer look at 5G mmWave deployment strategies

U.S. Wireless operators Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T own millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum licenses and have deployed 5G using mmWave spectrum in some U.S. markets. But just because these operators are using high-band mmWave spectrum for 5G doesn’t mean that their deployment strategies are the same. Aurora Insight examined data that it collected from the Dallas market on the mmWave deployments of Verizon and T-Mobile and discovered that the two operators’ deployment strategies are very different.

What is mmWave?

mmWave spectrum is spectrum that is in the 24 GHz band and higher. The benefit of deploying 5G in mmWave spectrum is that if the signal is unencumbered users can get connection speeds from 1 Gbps to 3 Gbps or higher.

However, mmWave spectrum does have limitations. For instance, mmWave signals can’t travel very far. In fact, in some cases the signal will travel less than a mile depending on the transmitter power and antenna gain. In addition, mmWave signals are susceptible to signal attenuation from things like trees, buildings and even glass.

Verizon is a big proponent of mmWave spectrum for 5G. The operator has deployed its mmWave 5G service, which it calls 5G Ultra Wideband, in about 35 cities. Verizon has also revealed that it plans to expand 5G Ultra Wideband’s reach to about 60 cities by year-end.

AT&T has deployed its millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G service, which it calls 5G Plus, in parts of 35 cities. And T-Mobile offers 5G service over mmWave spectrum in just six cities.

It’s important to note that Verizon has said that its mmWave-based Ultra Wideband service is fundamental to the company’s 5G strategy. The operator also plans to deploy low-band 5G using its existing LTE spectrum coupled with dynamic spectrum sharing technology later this year to complement its mmWave-based 5G offering but it is investing heavily in the mmWave-based Ultra Wideband service.

T-Mobile, by contrast, has already deployed nationwide 5G service using low-band 600 MHz spectrum and is beginning to deploy 5G in Sprint’s 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum. T-Mobile closed on its acquisition of Sprint on April 1 and as part of that deal it will receive Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum licenses. Sprint holds nearly 80% of the licenses in the 2.5 GHz spectrum band, which equates to about 100 MHz of spectrum in the top 100 markets.

During a recent Wells Fargo 5G Forum, Neville Ray, president of technology at T-Mobile, said that the company is still evaluating its options when it comes to deploying 5G in the mmWave. He also indicated that the company might use that spectrum for backhaul as well as providing 5G service.

Deployment differences in Dallas

Aurora Insight used its proprietary network of sensors to measure radio frequency spectrum and determine mmWave coverage in the Dallas area in March 2020. We specifically looked at the 5G mmWave deployments of T-Mobile and Verizon. Our technology extracted detailed information at the cell site level and identified weak spots in the network.

Here are some of our findings from the Dallas market:

• T-Mobile has deployed 41 transmitters and serves approximately 302 people per transmitter.
• Verizon has deployed 76 transmitters and serves approximately 369 people per transmitter.