President Trump and the FCC announced the goals for the 5G network efforts in the U.S. as part of a recent White House speech. The President claimed that 92 5G markets will be ready by the end of the year, comparing that figure to South Korea’s expected 48 markets with the conclusion that “America must win.”
Trump announced that regularity barriers are being removed to free up as much wireless spectrum as possible. The President and his administration are working closely with the FCC and are taking actions “bolder than they’ve ever taken before” to make 5G a reality in the near future.
To help accomplish this grand goal, the FCC has announced that on December 10th, they will host the largest spectrum auction in the country’s history. This will allow carriers to bid on 3,400MHz of new spectrum, including 37, 39, and 47GHz spectrum bands. The FCC also proposed a way to create faster services to carrier customers using 50 GHz spectrum. The organization also has plans to remove current regulations so that people would be able to station “hub and relay antennas” and help boost 5G networks.
It seems the President is all in on the 5G race and the FCC have big plans. The estimate for achieving this agenda rack up to around $275 billion. Trump backs up this tall investment with hopes of it bringing 3 million jobs and $500 million to the American economy.
The FCC went on to discuss the importance of security when regarding 5G when Chairman Ajit Pai mentioned talks with European allies. He stated that agreements have been made that a secure framework will be needed and the risks of 5G need to be addressed. The FCC’s concern with security can be traced back to the banning of Huawei’s involvement with 5G in America due to the company’s rumors of misconduct.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that 4G was, even though almost ten years passed. Nonetheless, 5G is predicted to be even more reliable, quick, and constant than its predecessor. The hope for this new spectrum has been floating around the tech industry for a while now with companies such as Samsung announcing 5G models of upcoming handsets. While no one has had a chance to truly test any of these devices and how they handle the network, the promise is still there.
The race for 5G has gotten as far as AT&T releasing their 5G E network. Studies have concluded, however, that this implementation is not any faster than other carriers’ LTE networks. This conclusion was quite the disappointment even considering how early of 5G development it is.
President Trump’s speech can be viewed from multiple points of view; however, for the world of technology, it means exciting things in the future. With the government’s support and backing, the hope for 5G spectrum is closer to becoming a reality. It is also notable that the FCC mentioned its deep concern for security and ensuring that the creation of 5G is done correctly. With the announced spectrum auction and promise for success by the end of the year, the race for 5G is set to exciting.