Verizon already has used three different generations of customer premises equipment (CPE) for its 5G Home fixed wireless offering. And the company is currently working on the fourth generation, according to Verizon Chief Technology Officer Kyle Malady.
The fourth-generation offering will use a new chipset and should be less costly. It also will be designed to be easier for customers to install themselves, Malady told investors on an online financial conference today.
Malady did not provide a timeline for when the new CPE would be available.
Verizon 5G Home CPE
Malady outlined the evolution of Verizon 5G Home CPE.
When Verizon launched the offering just over two years ago, the CPE required professional installation, Malady noted. That limitation drove some industry observers at the time to question the profitability of the service.
Subsequently, the company launched the second generation of 5G Home CPE, which enabled some customers to install it themselves.
The third-generation offering was considerably easier for customers to install – and 70% now can do that.
“The vast majority can set it up in 40 minutes,” Malady said. “The goal is to get to 80%.”
Verizon wants the 5G Home purchase experience to be like that for mobile service, Malady said. The company hopes that customers will be able to go online to purchase the CPE, which will be delivered the next day and which people will set up in 40 minutes.
The company is seeking “constant performance improvement” for the service, said Malady.
The company has three key focus areas for 5G Home overall, including better receiver sensitivity, higher power and material cost reductions, he said.
Malady made his comments at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit, which was a virtual event.
