Intel and Ericsson delivered a first 3GPP New Radio (NR) 5G-compliant live data call operating in the 39 GHz band using Intel’s RF millimeter wave chip with Ericsson Radio System's commercial equipment, including the 5G NR AIR 5331, baseband and the Intel's 5G Mobile Trial Platform. The 5G trial was the first live multi-vendor data call in the 39 GHz spectrum, demonstrated in labs in Kista, Sweden and Santa Clara, California.

The 39 GHz band is important spectrum for North American commercial deployment beginning in 2019 — all major operators plan to use this band to deliver an ultra-fast user experience with 5G, which is expected to drive a new era of communications and customer services.

The 39 GHz demonstration builds on the earlier 3GPP NR-compliant calls at 3.5 GHz conducted by Intel and Ericsson, showing that both companies are achieving interoperability across multiple bands.

“This live 5G demonstration on the 39 GHz band signifies how close 5G commercial services are to reality in North America. Using the Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform configured with a 39 GHz RF chip/antenna, we successfully demonstrated a 3GPP-compliant data call performed connecting to an Ericsson commercial 5G g-NB base station, an important step in ensuring our commercial platforms are field ready for deployment in 2019.” — Asha Keddy, vice president Next Generation and Standards at Intel

“Completing this end-to-end data call on 39 GHz with Intel shows our commitment to realizing 5G in different spectrum bands. In July we did it on 3.5 GHz and now on 39 GHz, which will smoothen the path to 5G for our customers. Using commercial 5G radios for this multi-vendor interoperability milestone shows our progress towards making 5G a commercial reality.” — Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of the networks business area at Ericsson