Ericsson and Verizon have completed a pre-6G test call designed to measure how radio signals in the 7 GHz band penetrate buildings and cover area, the vendor and operator confirmed in an announcement reported by Telecompaper.

The trial targets a band that standards bodies and regulators have flagged as candidate spectrum for 6G. No throughput figures, site counts or locations were disclosed in the announcement.

What does the call actually test?

The 7 GHz range, often described as the upper mid-band or centimetre-wave portion of the spectrum, sits between today's sub-6 GHz 5G allocations and the millimetre-wave bands used sparingly since 5G launch. Its appeal is simple. It offers more bandwidth than low bands and better propagation than millimetre wave.

That trade-off is exactly what the Ericsson–Verizon exercise probes. Penetration testing establishes whether signals at these frequencies pass through walls and foliage well enough for indoor coverage from outdoor sites. Coverage testing establishes how many sites an operator would need to blanket a given area.

For Verizon, the answer carries direct capital-spending implications. An operator that has already spent heavily on C-band and millimetre-wave 5G needs to know whether a 7 GHz 6G layer would reuse existing site grids or require densification.

Where does 6G standardisation stand?

The call is a pre-standard demonstration, not a commercial deployment. 3GPP began its 6G study phase in 2025, with the first release of 6G specifications expected around 2029 and commercial networks targeted for the early 2030s. Regulators including the FCC and Europe's CEPT are evaluating allocations across the mid-band range, including the 7 GHz portion, for possible 6G licensing.

Vendors have an incentive to stage such calls early. Ericsson faces Nokia, Samsung and Huawei in the race to shape 6G radio requirements, and operator trial partnerships signal alignment before specifications are frozen. Verizon's participation, announced without commercial terms, is best read as engineering due diligence rather than a procurement commitment.

What comes next?

Neither company published a timeline for further trials. The result will feed operator input into 3GPP study items and into Verizon's internal planning for spectrum acquisitions, with the first auction decisions on candidate 6G bands likely to follow the standardisation milestones set for the end of the decade.

By James Calloway