New data shines a light on the growth of mmWave 5G networks in the U.S., and their performance.
In the very, very early days of 5G in the U.S., millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum was trumpeted as ground zero for the technology. Some even referred to the combination of 5G and mmWave as “wireless fiber.”
Indeed, in 2017, a bidding war broke out between Verizon and AT&T over mmWave spectrum owner Straight Path. Verizon eventually won the company’s mmWave holdings with a $3.1 billion acquisition deal.
But the noise surrounding mmWave 5G quickly died down after the FCC auctioned mid-band C-band spectrum in 2021. Unlike short-range mmWave spectrum, transmissions in midband spectrum like C-band (3.7 GHz) travel much further, thereby allowing operators including Verizon and AT&T to supercharge both the speed and the reach of their 5G connections.
Further, few other countries in the world followed in the mmWave footsteps of the U.S., with international spectrum regulators instead putting a focus on releasing mid-band spectrum for 5G.
