The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will take the final steps toward making the lightning-speed 5G wireless a reality.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will begin a proposal to the rollout of 5G wireless proceedings. Should his initiative pass, the FCC could begin to open up the high-band spectrum that can deliver data at significant higher speeds than today's LTE and 4G.
Wheeler points out that the United States can become the first country to unlock high-band spectrum for 5G networks and applications. He underlines the importance of the fact, saying that national enterprises could be pioneers in the field.
The head of FCC makes it clear that the commission keeps away from defining and regulating 5G.
"If anyone tells you they know the details of what 5G will deliver, walk the other way," Wheeler points out [PDF].
The FCC will open up a number of new wireless spectrum to help companies expand the new technology. As reminder, wireless spectrum is being used by carriers such as Verizon or AT&T to bring mobile data into your cellphone.
Wheeler mentions that countries outside the U.S. take a lot of time studying 5G and setting ground rules before it starts operating. He notes that the FCC will simply make a big slice of spectrum available, and the private enterprises will take care of the rest.
The FCC leader told the media that he envisions 5G as fast enough that people would name it "mobile fiber." This means that users can expect mobile speeds 10 or 100 times faster than before.
Wheeler thinks that the speed of 5G will make it suitable for the health care sector too, especially in remote surgery. The high responsiveness of the new tech will make sure that commands are sent out in under one millisecond.
Wheeler's proposal will unlock the gates for a consistent quantity of high-speed unlicensed spectrum, and everyone will have a share. While the majority of the new 5G spectrum will go to big-name companies, this unlicensed area will be up for grabs for smaller ventures. Thus, much quicker Wi-Fi is also in store.
Keep in mind that, in spite of all its might, 5G comes with a number of technical caveats.
5G signal has limited range and is also rather weak at penetrating buildings. One way to deal with these limitations is to deploy a massive number of cell towers, which is a noteworthy investment. Mobile technologies will need to be revised so that smartphones quickly identify the nearest source of a 5G signal.
National carriers such as Verizon and AT&T already announced that 5G testing is due this summer. The two companies are expected to start offering the new speed by 2017, but the FCC estimates that commercial scale deployment will gush out in 2020.
Next month, the FCC will debate and take a vote on Wheeler's proposal. That process of making room for 5G will be dubbed the Spectrum Frontiers proceeding and could be lengthy (read: a few years).
People familiar with the matter are anxious to see the 5G running, as a few sectors will benefit from the extended speeds, namely autonomous vehicle, smart-city energy grids, transportation networks and water systems.
