5G Spectrum Push Spearheaded By U.S.

The United States, one of the top global authorities in the adoption and advancement of wireless tech, has initiated what they hope will be a worldwide push toward conversion of radio spectrum to 5G networks. Such wonders as improved civilian drones and worldwide flight tracking systems could be powered by the next generation of wireless technology, but the area set to show the largest benefit to individual civilians is mobile telephony.

In the recent past, there’s been lots of buzz about 5G and the incredible possibilities it promises for the mobile space, from enhanced coverage in old and new areas to the faster, more powerful networks enabling new applications for mobile broadband. With VR and AR on the horizon, along with the adoption of low-cost global LTE networks, 5G networks will likely be coming at the perfect time.

Some U.S. carriers have already made their 5G ambitions and possible plans known, such as T-Mobile allowing their CTO to fire off about the fledgling network technology. 5G networks in the consumer mobile space seem poised to revolutionize the market entirely, but not everybody is quite as eager as the United States to see the new technology develop.

In developing markets and places where LTE coverage is low and slow, the promise of 5G seems like a pipedream. This is why the United States, backed at a conference by Ambassador Decker Anstrom and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, is pushing to reallocate some of the global radio spectrum floating around to pave the way for 5G networks. During the United Nations’ World Radiocommunication Conference, Wheeler pointed out the benefits to the common man and to societies and economies while urging other world powers to join the charge for next-gen mobile tech.

If reallocated, the radio spectrum would use different bands to power different types of networks on a wide scale and allow worldwide coordination to enhance mobile networking. A global consensus on this issue will obviously prove pivotal to the upcoming FCC spectrum auction, likely determining factors such as the prices for the spectrum, who will be bidding and what the planned applications will be.