5G's Maine Event? Redzone Touts 5Gx Launch

A Maine-based fixed wireless operator says it has begun expanding its network to bring broadband services to 13 rural and underserved markets across its home state. It's calling this service "5Gx" (and calling itself a "5G wireless broadband innovation company").

So did it beat the big four to the title of first 5G launch in the US?

Not quite... but it may be the first to claim a 5G launch!

Redzone, which began offering affordable broadband across Maine in 2015, says the expanded network will reach more than 40,000 new locations in 25 towns and will serve as a foundation for further network expansion. Its entirely privately funded, multi-million-dollar network expansion will be fully operational this year.

In announcing the news, Redzone President Jim McKenna called the network "5Gx." He said in a release, "Redzone Wireless remains on the forefront of fixed wireless broadband network innovation, and we have advanced the reliability, capacity and speed of our 5Gx technology substantially over the last year. We are confident in both our 5Gx network and the ability of our team to execute on this ambitious plan to bring improved broadband services to thousands of additional Maine households and businesses in 2018."

The company operates what it calls a multi-spectrum fixed wireless network using multiple frequency bands on a single tower with a proprietary operational support system. It says that it includes high-frequency millimeter wave and unlicensed 5 GHz to bring 100 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s speeds to line-of-sight customers; mid-band LTE on licensed 3.65 GHz for increased capacity at near-line-of-sight distances; and LTE on licensed 2.5 GHz for deep coverage into highly foliated environments.

As FierceWireless points out, this launch doesn't meet the 3GPP standard definition of 5G, as the software portion of the standard isn't even complete yet. It's also a fixed launch, rather than mobile, but it's certainly an interesting network typology to serve a tricky geographical region. Redzone is not the first to play fast-and-loose with the term 5G, and it certainly won't be the last.

And, while marketing its network as 5Gx is disingenuous and potentially confusing to consumers, what really matters here is that the operator is making connectivity accessible to those who had no, or only expensive, options in the past. That is a worthy goal, regardless of what you call it.

— Sarah Thomas, Contributing Editor, Telco Transformation