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It has been more than half a decade since Verizon Wireless brought 4G LTE to the United States. This time around, the Big Red is getting ready to take it to the next level. The wireless carrier has just revealed that it has plans to start testing its 5G network by next year. As a matter of fact, Verizon Wireless has been keeping itself busy creating network environments, aka sandboxes, in its Innovation Centers located in the city of San Francisco, California and in Waltham, Massachusetts.
In laying the groundwork for its 5G network, Verizon Wireless is partnering with other big names in technology. These partners include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Cisco, Nokia, Qualcomm, and South Korean mobile giant Samsung. These tech companies have already began forming working teams during the Verizon 5G Technology Forum held last month. As stated by Verizon, all these partner companies have already pledged their commitment in strongly pushing for innovation and collaborating with the Big Red in bring a 5G network to life.
But what -- what exactly can one expect from an up and running 5G network? For starters, it may require some patience. Sure, Verizon Wireless has already announced plans to begin testing its 5G network in 2016, but it is very unlikely that majority of mobile users in the US will start enjoying 5G soon (the testing phase will probably carry over to 2020).
Still, a 5G network can not come soon enough, especially when you consider the rapidly expanding numbers of mobile users demanding faster connection speeds and better overall network performance. In an age where the global population is increasingly becoming glued to their mobile devices, one can not really blame them for getting too enthusiastic with the idea of a 5G network.
Industry watchers are saying that a 5G network would be capable to providing mobile users with speeds up to 50 times faster than existing 4G LTE networks of today. A 5G network would also be able to transmit more data across a more expansive width, essentially minimizing the occurrence of network congestion and allowing better streams and quicker downloads.
Amazingly, a 5G networks, despite its superior performance, will only require so much energy. For mobile users, this equates to longer time spent online without using up too much battery life. However, a bigger reason there is a need for a 5G network is that mobile users are now starting to shift into the Internet of Things. This means that in a few years, people will no longer just be using smartphones and tablets, but also smart TVs, smart home security systems, smart appliances and furniture, and maybe even smart cars. In order for all smart objects to be interconnected to each other seamlessly, they will need to function using a network as fast and as reliable as a 5G network.
As mentioned earlier, 2020 may still be too far off. The good news is that Verizon is actually targeting an initial commercial launch in 2017, so there is some hope after all. But first, Verizon will need to ace the testing phase.
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