For a lot of people, the idea of 4G LTE networks might be considered the height of modernity, but the world is ever-changing and 5G networks and technologies are in development as we speak. The standard surrounding 5G has yet to be formally ratified, but there are common themes and ideas that the industry has gravitated towards, and Verizon has started to work with the likes of Samsung in order to develop these new technologies. Speaking of South Korean firms, South Korean network KT is claiming to be the first one to get 5G on the market, with a launch target of 2019. The Korean network had originally aimed for 2020 as the launch of their new 5G network, but have now moved this forward to 2019, but Verizon, the only American network that appears bullish on 5G, remains undeterred by this news.
A Verizon spokeswoman simply said that “We are collaborating closely with our peer operators in the Asian markets as we are very much aligned towards implementing 5G technology to time with standards”. KT and Samsung Electronics have been working together as part of KT’s 5G-SIG initiative to create working standards around 5G technologies, and Verizon themselves is hard at work creating some usable standards for the future. There’s a lot of testing going on around the frequencies and subcarrier frequencies that could be used in 5G networks, with Verizon using a 75 kHz frequnecy, which has jnot been considering by either the 3GPPP or other firms. Even so, working with Samsung and other operators the world over, Verizon will no doubt be able to one of the first carriers in North America to launch with 5G around 2020 themselves.
As for 5G networks being available for the general public, KT will be testing a 5G solution during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018 along with help from Qualcomm, Intel, Ericsson as well as Samsung. The real push for 5G right now will be taken care of in the ratification of standards, as once an industry standard jhas been reached, networks and device manufacturers can start to build devices for 5G. Standards are important, as they allow things like WiFi to be supported by everyone.