The end of the year draws near and we’re now less than a month away from the next major consumer electronics trade show – CES 2017 – where numerous industry giants plan to demo their latest advancements in telecommunication technology. According to recent reports, Ericsson will be among the tech giants present at CES 2017, where the company intends to conduct demos for 5G network technology.
Earlier this week – December 5th – Ericsson submitted an application to the FCC, seeking “authorization to conduct an LTE demonstration” at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the application, “the demonstration will carry-out specific Internet of Things use-cases (proof-points) within radio access network as well as cloud domains.” Previously, the FCC has already granted authorization for this demo to be conducted by Ericsson at the GE Minds + Machines event in San Francisco last month. Additionally, earlier in November, Ericsson also submitted an application for “Special Temporary Authority” to conduct a demo at CES 2017 revolving around 5G network technologies. According to the application, “the exhibition will use an experimental 5G base station and a piece of experimental 5G mobile user equipment.” An identical demo was conducted by Ericsson at CES 2016, CTIA 2015, and the Verizon 5G Forum. Earlier in January this year at CES, Ericsson had a demonstration allowing participants to remotely control an excavator located in Plano, Texas, directly from the show floor using a virtual reality headset over 5G network technology. However, it remains to be seen whether Ericsson will use the same technology to conduct the same demo, or if the company has prepared another demonstration to showcase the capabilities of 5G networking.
5G network technology is being developed by numerous companies in a quest to create a solid foundation for the Internet of Things and to allow more complex telecommunication infrastructures to exist and facilitate technologies including self-driving cars. Needless to say, Ericsson is among the companies working on advancing 5G networks, and CES 2017 will be the next major event where the company will showcase these technologies. Speaking of self-driving vehicles, it’s worth mentioning that earlier in September, three major German car manufacturers – Audi, BMW, and Daimler – have created the “5G Automotive Association” in collaborations with telecom & IT giants Intel, Nokia, Qualcomm, Huawei, and indeed Ericsson.