David

Fifth-Generation Wireless (5G) has been mostly hype and promise until recently when the
IMT-2020 and 3GPP groups started focusing on completing the requirements and
standards. Based on similar technology as current Fourth-Generation (4G) LTE (OFDM), 5G
promises to enable much faster speeds and lower latencies which will enable many new
use cases and expanded opportunities in the future. A key component of 5G is support for
certain bands and propagation characteristics that will enable near real time feedback and
response times. From the coverage standpoint, early 5G Wireless will incorporate the use
of large numbers of Small Cells in order to micro-target coverage and capacity needs. Many
new 5G use cases will start to emerge in the next couple of years that will enable things like
Virtual Reality and Autonomous Vehicle Navigation to become mainstream.
This discussion will focus on the high-level aspects of 5G and why it is important to not only
wireless carriers, but to the average consumer as well. We will discuss the challenges and
potential benefits of deploying this leading-edge technology, such as time to market and
real-world use cases that will highlight future technical capabilities. These efforts will
involve careful planning and strategic placement of assets in the ever changing “Chess-
Match” C Spire and other wireless carriers face day to day.

Biography:

Mr. Smith is currently the Vice President, Network Engineering at C Spire. He leads the
overall Wireless Network Design, RAN Optimization, OSP Fiber Design, Capacity Planning and
Network Analytics efforts. He has given many invited presentations on the opportunities and
challenges associated with C Spires wireless growth over the last 23 years. He holds a BSEE
from the Un iversity of Mississippi (1996) and is a member of various Wireless Associations
and Groups.