LG Wing is getting new C-band 5G frequencies so it will operate better and faster on Verizon’s networks. The Google Pixel 5 has also received authorization to use these new airwaves.
According to a report, the filing for these two devices include a “class 2 permissive change”. This is a filing that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) uses to allow new radio abilities or frequency bands. This allows both LG and Google permission to update software on these two devices for the C-band.
Recently, US carriers spent over $80 billion for licensing C-band frequencies. It won’t be clear just how much frequency each carrier got, but it will likely be in tranches of 100MHz or more. Compared to Verizon and AT&T’s “nationwide” 5G network, C-band offers better speed. It also offers longer range compared to Verizon’s Ultra-Wideband 5G. It is possible that C-band networks will go online by the end of 2021 or the early days of 2022.
The filings revealed on the report referred to the Verizon and AT&T version of the LG Wing. This means that the T-Mobile version will not be getting C-band frequency access. The report also shared that it’s possible that Verizon was the biggest bidder for the airwaves and could have spent around $30 billion. AT&T, on the other hand, possibly spent $20 billion. T-Mobile could have spent $11 billion. But compared to the other two carriers, it is less dependent on C-band’s airwaves since it already has similar mid-band airwaves.
As for the Pixel 5, there is only one version available on the FCC’s database.
