TORONTO – Commercial broadband, wireless and cloud provider TeraGo announced Thursday it has begun 5G technical trials at its Thornhill head office.
Using 5G fixed wireless network equipment from Nokia, initial testing will be in the 38 GHz frequency band. TeraGo will also use customer premise equipment from Askey Computer Corp. in support of these initial trials, which are expected to be carried out over the next several weeks.
Due to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, customer trials are planned to begin in the second half of 2020.
“Interoperability testing of network and CPE equipment in real world environments is a critical step in enabling this transition,” said Tony Ciciretto, president and CEO. “In Canada, TeraGo is uniquely positioned to be one of the first operators to launch commercial 5G fixed wireless services as the largest holder of millimetre wave spectrum in the largest urban markets. The ultra-high bandwidth and low latency capabilities offered by 5G will allow us to deliver new innovative communications solutions to our customers, improve the efficiency of our network, and open new market opportunities for the company.”
TeraGo’s fixed wireless spectrum assets include 14 of 20 licenses issued in the 24 GHz band and 25 of 27 licenses issued in the 38 GHz band, covering 2,210 MHz in Canada’s six largest cities or approximately 8.6 billion MHz-Pops, says the announcement. The company’s national fixed wireless network is supported by a redundant fibre optic backbone to approximately 600 rooftops across Canada. “TeraGo is currently investing to enhance its network to bring the benefits of 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) to businesses including enhanced speed, throughput, low latency, and fibre like reliability,” it says.
