Many companies and individuals are gathered this week at CES (News - Alert) in Las Vegas to talk and learn about the latest solutions in tech. And 5G is likely to be a recurring theme.
That’s because this up-and-coming cellular technology is just getting ready to roll. Early standards have been finalized. Endpoint device and network element companies are working to deliver standard-compliant 5G gear. And service providers are testing 5G and telling us about their commercial timelines.
MTN (News - Alert) earlier this week announced it has launched the first 5G trial in South Africa with supplier Ericsson. And AT&T and Verizon in recent months have provided details about their 2018 5G service rollout plans.
AT&T revealed last month that it expects to be the first carrier to launch a standards-based mobile 5G service in more than a dozen markets in the United States by late 2018. This year it also plans to reach more than 660,000 total locations, and 1.1 million locations by the end of 2020, in those 18 states with fixed 5G services.
Verizon, meanwhile, expects to launch 5G-based fixed wireless residential broadband services in three to five U.S. markets this year. It currently does not have plans to introduce commercial mobile 5G services in 2018.
And Korea Telecom (News - Alert) is preparing for next month’s Winter Olympics, where it will be delivering 5G. Intel is involved in that effort. And KT in late October said it had successfully interconnected 5G demonstration Olympic venue networks with Samsung Electronics 5G terminals. It also deemed its test transmitting bulk images over 5G a success.
“At PyeongChang 2018, Intel, KT (News - Alert), and our ecosystem collaborators will deliver a 5G showcase in Gangneung Olympic Park, and in Gwanghwamoon, Seoul and at other Olympic venues across Korea,” said Sandra Rivera, senior vice president and general manager of the network platforms group at Intel. “In addition, there will be 5G experiences made possible by the Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform and Intel 5G network technologies (including FlexRAN technology) that will be activated on the 5G network at a variety of Olympic locations.”
The GSMA’s (News - Alert) “The 5G era: Age of boundless connectivity and intelligent automation” report says 5G connections could represent 12 percent of total mobile connections by 2025.
Edited by
Mandi Nowitz
