With Its Small, Cheap Repeaters, Pivotal Is the Partner Verizon Needs for Citywide 5G [telecom]

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Two years into Verizon's 'ultra wideband' 5G rollout, citywide coverage, even in its initial launch cities, is still a dream. But two devices from Pivotal Commware can make those installations easier and less expensive.

By Sascha Segan

Verizon's ultra-fast 5G has a real estate problem. Pivotal Commware may have the solution.

Millimeter-wave "ultra wideband" 5G is very fast and has huge bandwidth. It's the only kind of 5G Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg wanted to talk about in his CES keynote this week; I didn't hear him mention his company's "nationwide" 5G. But it's very short range, to the point where Verizon has to put a panel every 1,500 feet or less to establish in-city coverage. And the technology doesn't penetrate walls well, so it mostly runs straight up and down streets rather than around buildings.