Verizon has been testing out 5G at their headquarters in Basking Ridge, NJ since January of this year. We’ve known that 5G can significantly change how we use our mobile devices – much like 4G LTE did when we transitioned from 3G. However, we are now seeing that the carrier is getting speeds up to 1.8Gbps on their 5G network. It’s worth mentioning that we likely won’t see those speeds in the real world anytime soon, however. The company’s CEO, Lowell McAdam also noted that the range for this service can reach up to 1,000 meters. What’s even more important than that is the fact that McAdam believes that a fixed deployment of 5G could be profitable enough to give the carrier a complete return on their investment. “There’s a distinction between 5G in a fixed wireless environment versus a mobile environment,” McAdam said during the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Conference earlier this week.
During his appearance at the J.P. Morgan Conference, McAdam also noted that it’s expensive to connect consumers and businesses to a fiber network. Adding that they could reduce the cost if they are able to get a fiber connection within 1,000 meters of a building and then connecting that building wirelessly to a 5G router outside. McAdam also explained that “half of our cost to establish high-speed data, whether that’s consumer or business, is inside the four walls of the business.” Adding that when you are able to go wireless, you won’t need to run coax, nor do you need to do any high-labor-intensive activities. In fact, you can light up service overnight. “The pricing models can change dramatically,” said McAdam.
Verizon still believes that they will be first to roll out 5G in the US. The company’s CFO, Fran Shammo, noted last month that they plan to have 5G rolling out in 2017 or sooner. Verizon has been working with Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung and Qualcomm in testing of 5G. The company’s executives have been saying for a few months now that the field tests in New Jersey are going very well. Currently, it appears – at least in the public eye – that Verizon is leading the way in 5G. Even though standards have not yet been agreed on for 5G. Looking into the future, McAdam thinks that his company will be on the cutting edge of 6G whenever that comes as well.