UScellular yesterday conducted a live demonstration of its advanced 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technology at Washington Academy in Belvidere. The event was designed to highlight how wireless connectivity can help bridge the digital divide in Illinois.
Attendees, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, experienced a 5G FWA technical demonstration that showcased the power, reliability and speed of 5G mid-band technology and how it can connect homes and businesses across the state. Belvidere is one of the first cities to receive UScellular’s 5G mid-band network, which can deliver speeds up to 10x faster than 4G LTE and current low-band 5G networks.
Using specially designed antennas connected to a nearby cell tower, UScellular network experts conducted a call with more than 20 simultaneous video streams to simulate today’s digital lifestyle. Prior to the demonstration, attendees toured the cell tower, where they received a rare opportunity to see the inside of the base station and the equipment that makes this high-speed connectivity possible.
UScellular now offers low-band, mid-band and high-band mmWave 5G speeds and services in select areas in Illinois. Low-band 5G provides broad coverage, while mmWave 5G provides super-fast speeds with more limited reach. 5G mid-band technology is considered the “sweet spot” of 5G because it provides fast speeds with broad coverage – enhancing both mobile and FWA connectivity.
Illinois was just allocated more than $1 billion in funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to expand broadband internet to areas across the state. This program can provide supplemental funding to subsidize infrastructure investments that improve both access to and affordability of broadband connectivity. As Illinois takes advantage of its allocated funding, UScellular encourages the use of a range of technologies to bring connectivity to the areas that are hardest to connect.
Governor JB Pritzker
Every Illinoisan needs access to reliable connectivity to participate in the 21st century economy. Within our Rebuild Illinois capital plan, we have made the largest broadband investment in state history. We are committed to providing reliable and affordable high-speed internet to homes, businesses, and community institutions across the state, and I am thankful to UScellular for joining us in this endeavor.
Laurent Therivel, president and CEO of UScellular
At UScellular, we are committed to investing in broadband infrastructure and the latest wireless technology to help deliver reliable, high-speed internet access to underserved Illinois communities now and in the future. Today’s demo proved that 5G wireless technology is an affordable and viable connectivity option for many areas across the state, and we thank Governor Pritzker for taking the time to learn and visit with us.
