Tuesday, 17 May 2016
Monday, 9 May 2016
Verizon to be first to field-test crazy-fast 5G wireless
Verizon
to be first to field-test
crazy-fast 5G wireless
It
expects "some level of commercial deployment" to begin by
2017 for next-generation wireless. That's much earlier than the
common industry belief that 2020 will mark the start.
by
Roger Cheng September 8, 20155:00 AM PDT CNET news
How
fast is 5G? Verizon's tests have shown a connection speed that is 30
to 50 times faster than its current 4G network.
Verizon
is getting ready to kick its wireless network up another notch.
The
nation's largest wireless carrier will begin field trials on
so-called fifth-generation, or 5G, technology within the next 12
months, Roger Gurnani, chief information and technology architect for
Verizon, said in an interview last week. He expects "some level
of commercial deployment" to begin by 2017. That's far earlier
than the time frame of 2020 that many in the industry have pegged for
the initial adoption of 5G technology.
The
trials would make Verizon the world's first carrier to seriously move
into 5G. It also represents an initial step toward the broader
telecom industry radically transforming wireless service by adding
significantly higher speed and responsiveness. Just as the move to
today's 4G wireless technology drove an explosion of smartphone
adoption and mobile services, 5G could similarly drive its own tech
revolution.
"The
future is going to bring more stuff that I can't really describe,"
Gurnani said. "We can't possibly envision the full range of
disruptive products and services. But we have some possibilities."
How
fast is 5G? Verizon's tests have shown a connection speed that is 30
to 50 times faster than our current 4G network, or higher speeds than
what Google Fiber offers through a direct physical connection into
the home, Gurnani said.
With
5G, that copy of the movie "The Guardians of the Galaxy"
would zip to your device in 15 seconds instead of 6 minutes via 4G.
There
are other key benefits. It's far more responsive, so the precise hand
movements of a surgeon in Tokyo could be transferred to New York in
real time. It's supposed to be more power-efficient, so devices are
expected to last 10 times as long. Carriers will also be able to send
more data across a fatter pipe, so a hit TV show like HBO's "Game
of Thrones" will stream just fine even if millions of other
people are watching too.
But
it's still early for 5G -- so early that few can agree on what the
technology will actually look like. The increased speed and
responsiveness may supercharge today's emerging tech trends: the
Internet of Things, or the idea that everyday objects like your
refrigerator or bed can talk to each other; self-driving cars; and
virtual reality, which employs supersharp imagery to place you in
another world.
For
all the whiz-bang capabilities of 5G, Gurnani is grounded by his
responsibilities in the now. "At this time, our focus is on the
technology field trials and accelerating the technology," he
said.
There's
a global race to get to 5G first, and Verizon intends to maintain its
pole position. The New York-based company was one of the first
carriers in the world to employ 4G technology back when it announced
it would begin trials in 2008. By late 2010, it was ready to launch
the service in 38 markets.
"It's
a very aggressive timeline," said Rima Qureshi, chief strategy
officer of telecommunications equipment supplier Ericsson.
Verizon
isn't alone in its early embrace of 5G. South Korea hopes its
wireless carriers can deploy a trial 5G network in 2018, in time for
the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Japan hopes to have a 5G network
running in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The Chinese
government, meanwhile, has also pushed for the aggressive deployment
of 5G technology.
"It'll
be interesting to see what the reaction is," Qureshi said of the
potential ripple effect of Verizon's move.
As
it did when it started its 4G work, Verizon has lined up partners
including Ericsson, Nokia (and soon-to-be acquired rival
Alcatel-Lucent), Cisco, Qualcomm and Samsung. Last month it set up
its first Verizon 5G Technology Forum. The company has also created
"sandboxes," or small testing areas utilizing 5G
technology, in its innovation centers in Waltham, Massachusetts, and
San Francisco.
Ericsson
showed a wireless radio link with prototype 5G networking technology
at Mobile World Congress in March.
Stephen
Shankland/CNET
In
a nod to the potential opportunity that stems from the Internet of
Things, Verizon's forum also includes a group of venture capitalists
working on emerging technologies that can take advantage of the
speedier connection.
While
Gurnani is calling for commercial deployment in 2017, don't expect to
pick up a 5G smartphone then. Prior to its wider 4G launch in 2010,
Verizon had set up networks in Boston and Seattle largely to test 4G
data-based phone calls and other mobile applications. How the
commercial deployment of 5G will look in 2017 will depend on the
kinds of applications and devices that emerge from the testing stage.
Gurnani
declined to say how many markets would launch in 2017, saying it's
too early to discuss the company's rollout plans.
While
Verizon wants to maintain its leadership position in the world's
wireless race, Gurnani conceded that other countries are further
ahead when it comes to their policies on spectrum, or the invisible
airwaves that are responsible for ferrying our data and voice calls
to our mobile devices. To enable this next-generation technology,
Verizon and the rest of the industry will need more of those
airwaves.
"For
technical trials themselves, we have what we need," Gurnani
said. "Beyond that, 5G will require big bands of spectrum,"
he said.
Gurnani
and Verizon will be speaking more about its 5G plans at the upcoming
CTIA Wireless trade show, which officially kicks off Wednesday in Las
Vegas.
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