MWCLV 2022: Connectivity Unleashed

It was great to be a part of the 2022 Mobile World Congress North America and catch up with our partners and clients. Even though the conference moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas this year, it was the same great opportunity to check the pulse of the wireless industry and learn about the new technologies and trends that will be prominent in the coming year.

It was also a very special show for us because we announced and showcased our new ADXV DAS C-band module supporting frequencies ranging from 3.7 GHz to 3.98 GHz with mid and high-power options and the SDRX C-band repeater. C-band is some of the most important spectrum for building a true nationwide 5G network and we are proud to support carriers and enterprises in deploying in-building coverage in a wide range of networking environments.

This year’s conference had many great speakers from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and other big industry players like AWS covering a variety of topics from sustainability to the future of 5G. Here are the main standout trends we saw at the conference.

Addressing the Digital Divide in 5G
As 5G rollouts continue in full force, so does concern over the growing digital divide that threatens long-term disadvantages for large swathes of the US if it’s not addressed soon. Fortunately, it has received the necessary attention from the government and the big three wireless carriers so there is reason to be hopeful. For example, the Biden administration recently announced a $1 trillion infrastructure spending package that includes $65 billion for broadband access to improve internet services for rural areas, low-income families and tribal communities. This bill is an effective example of a frequent MWC talking point on public-private partnerships being critical for building networks and bridging the digital divide. AT&T’s President of Broadband Access and Adoption, Jeff Luong discussed the importance of the partnerships between mobile and state funding, stating, “Billions of dollars in federal funding combined with matching funds from private sectors enables companies to economically build out their networks to unserved and underserved locations.”

The Golden Age of 5G Services is Coming
Since 2019, there has been endless hype and speculation about 5G becoming the ultimate enabler of innovation across industries like manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and much more. We are finally seeing the hype become a reality through important mobile carriers and tech partnerships. From T-Mobile’s partnership with Lumen to bring edge computing to enterprise and government sectors and Verizon’s partnership with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google for multi-edge computing, there is a big appetite for delivering 5G services. At MWC this year, Verizon announced a partnership with Razer and Qualcomm to bring a 5G handheld gaming device to the market. Even though critics often question if 5G technology can live up to the hype, it was always going to be determined by whether carriers and tech companies would be bullish on developing turnkey services to make the 5G applications easy for customers. We are starting to see the tip of the iceberg on what will be many more services in the future.

Watch the 2022 MWCLV Recap Video