US mmWave Spectrum
n261 / 28 GHz: most-deployed mmWave band. n260 / 39 GHz: less-deployed. n257 / 28 GHz (different from n261, partial overlap). C-band (n77) supplements but isn't mmWave.
Verizon UWB
Verizon's "Ultra Wideband" combines C-band and mmWave for the highest peak-throughput experience. mmWave focused on stadiums, transit hubs, dense urban hotspots. FWA service uses both bands.
AT&T 5G+
AT&T 5G+ is the mid-band and mmWave brand (vs base "5G" which is low-band). Smaller mmWave footprint than Verizon. Used in select metro hotspots.
T-Mobile mmWave
T-Mobile has mmWave but emphasizes its mid-band C-band (n41 / 2.5 GHz) deployment as the consumer-experience anchor. mmWave for hotspots and FWA.
mmWave Reality
Range: typically 200-400m line-of-sight, 100-200m through walls. Rain attenuation: 6-10 dB per km in heavy rain. Blockage: even tree leaves cause significant attenuation. Beam-management required for sub-200ms beam recovery.
FWA Engineering
Fixed CPE devices simplify beam management (no mobility). Allows aggressive beam-narrowing and per-CPE optimization. Per-CPE throughputs of 1+ Gbps achievable with dedicated mmWave beam.
Engineer Skills Profile
Strong RF propagation knowledge (mmWave-specific). Beam-management expertise (P1/P2/P3, BFR). FWA-vs-mobile-UE scheduler tuning. Massive MIMO understanding (64+ element arrays). Energy efficiency optimization (mmWave is power-hungry).