Verizon is aiming to be the first carrier in the U.S. to offer a 5G network, only five years after it became the first to offer a 4G network.
The company announced that it will be testing the technology starting next year, with a goal of having at least part of the network up and running by 2017. That, of course, is a lot sooner than the year 2020, which has been set by many other companies in the wireless industry.
"5G is no longer a dream of the distant future," said Roger Gurnani, Verizon executive vice president and chief information and technology architect, in a statement. "We feel a tremendous sense of urgency to push forward on 5G and mobilize the ecosystem by collaborating with industry leaders and developers to usher in a new generation of innovation."
5G technology will reportedly be able to deliver around 50 times more capacity of Verizon's 4G network. Early testing has shown that 5G connections have been up to 40 times speedier than current 4G LTE networks.
Internet connections that fast will allow for very high-capacity tasks to be performed on users' smartphones, including the ability to stream 8K video or download a 3D movie in a matter of around six seconds.
Initial testing will take place near Boston and San Francisco. Testing will take place in labs where engineers can perfect the technology.
Of course, Verizon is aware of the fact that its timeline is very quick for the implementation of 5G technology. The company launched its 4G network in 2010 after beginning testing in 2008 and making the first 4G phone call in 2009. It aims to implement 5G networks in around half that time.
One of the main issues with a speedy deployment of 5G technology is that no one has really agreed on exactly what 5G is. It uses extremely high frequencies to send data over short distances, meaning that carriers would have to deploy thousands of "small cells" in things like buildings to offer a decent network. For this reason, many view 5G as a complement to 4G rather than as its replacement.
Via: CNN Money
