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(Source: SOPA Images Limited/Alamy Stock Photo)
Verizon and Ericsson claimed a first for 6G with a call made using proof-of-concept gear at a commercial network site running in 7GHz band spectrum.
Actually, the field test looked like it took place in a parking lot, not a field. But that's just semantics. The point is, it was not in the lab and it was out in the real world in Concord, California, where performance could be evaluated outdoors and going into buildings.
Ericsson's PoC 6G basestation, using a pre-standard 6G stack with a 400MHz carrier, was installed separately at Verizon's network site shelter. The user equipment had its own house – a little 12-foot-by-8-foot house on wheels for testing stationary outdoor and indoor radio configurations.
The house has various wall and window materials so that outdoor-to-indoor penetration losses could be assessed. The user equipment received signals inside and outside the house and multiple positions were tested with distances of around 100 meters to 200 meters between the basestation and device.
Related:Verizon seeks FCC approval to test 6G use cases in 4GHz
"The confirmed field result is an outdoor call, while the broader proof-of-concept examines how 6G performance carriers from open air into indoor spaces," according to the companies.
"Testing characterizes coverage, throughput, latency, stability and feature behavior under realistic conditions, including line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight paths, foliage, obstacles and outside-in penetration through different glass and building materials," they said.
A little house for the 6G user equipment in the tests (Source: Ericsson).
Verizon and Ericsson said they will continue analyzing field results and applying the learnings to further 6G research and planning.
"This outdoor 6G milestone demonstrates how close industry collaboration helps us generate the key technical insights needed to shape global standards and understand how future 6G networks could be designed, deployed and experienced," said Yago Tenorio, chief technology officer and SVP of technology development at Verizon.
Ericsson is one of the five founding members of Verizon's 6G Innovation Forum, along with Meta, Nokia, Qualcomm and Samsung. The project was expanded last month to include nine new members to test technology and use cases. The new additions are Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Intel, Keysight Technologies, MediaTek, NVIDIA, Palo Alto Networks, Rohde & Schwarz and Viavi Solutions.
7GHz on deck in US spectrum pipeline
The companies did not specify which part of the 7GHz band was used. The NTIA is currently studying the lower 7GHz band (7125MHz–7400MHz), which is one of four bands identified for commercial 6G use in the US.
Related:T-Mobile tests 6G with Ericsson prototypes
In December last year, the US administration gave NTIA a 12-month deadline to complete the lower 7GHz study and come up with plans for relocating current federal users of the spectrum. The FCC could then get started on designing a spectrum auction of the frequencies.
The work on 7GHz and 1.6GHz (1675MHz–1695MHz) is furthest along. The other two bands under consideration are 2.7GHz (2700MHz–2900MHz) and 4.4GHz (4400MHz–4940MHz).
Ahead of 6G specifications being finalized in the next two years, carriers and their suppliers are busy testing. Verizon recently applied for an experimental license from the FCC to use 4GHz spectrum to demonstrate 5G Advancing sensing technology as a precursor to 6G.
T-Mobile was also granted a temporary license to test prototype 6G equipment from Ericsson and Mediatek in 6425MHz-6825MHz.
Visual graphic showing milestone progress for the spectrum studies across the four bands: 7GHz, 4.4GHz, 2.7GHz and 1.6GHz (as of 5/1/2026). (Source: NTIA, spectrum.gov)
About the Author
Senior Editor, Light Reading
Michelle Donegan covers all things 5G, 6G and mobile tech for Light Reading. She has been writing about the telecoms sector since the early 1990s.
Her first job was with Global Telephony magazine in Chicago, where she got an intro to publishing and tech reporting. After moving to the UK in 1999, she has covered telecoms tech, business and policy issues at publications including Communications Week International and Total Telecom. She was also part of Light Reading’s European editorial team from 2007 to 2013. Between stints at Light Reading, she was busy freelancing and was a regular contributor to Mobile Europe, Mobile World Live, TelcoTitans, TM Forum, and more.