Verizon, Qualcomm, and Ericsson today performed a live demo of 5G operating in a sub-6 GHz frequency band using DSS (dynamic spectrum sharing) technology, enabling the use of band 5 (850 MHz) for both 4G LTE and 5G NR technologies simultaneously. To date, Verizon has launched 5G only in higher-frequency mmWave bands that offer high speeds but limited coverage. 5G in band 5 would offer the same coverage as 4G in band 5. Verizon has mentioned plans to launch 5G in sub-6 GHz bands, but released few details and made few promises. Today's demo implies potential plans to deploy 5G in band 5. AT&T has already announced that it will also use band 5 for its sub-6 GHz 5G deployment. Today's demo took place at Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii.
