Verizon expects faster speeds, lower latency, support for IoT in 5G plans
Verizon Wireless is moving aggressively into the “5G” space, announcing plans for field trials of the still un-defined network standard beginning next year with a number of key vendor partners.
Verizon Wireless said it is working on establishing network environments, or “sandboxes” at its Waltham, Mass., and San Francisco Innovation Centers to “foster compelling applications faster.” Despite the grammatical issues, the carrier said the move will see it begin technology field trials beginning next year.
While international standards bodies are still working through what will encompass 5G, Verizon Wireless said it expects the standard to support 50 times the network throughput of current LTE networks, latency in the single-digit milliseconds and the ability to support increased network demand from a growing number of connected devices and the “Internet of Things.”
“5G is no longer a dream of the distant future,” said Roger Gurnani , EVP and chief information and technology architect for Verizon. “We feel a tremendous sense of urgency to push forward on 5G and mobilize the ecosystem by collaborating with industry leaders and developers to usher in a new generation of innovation.”
Partners for Verizon Wireless’ 5G push are set to include Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Nokia Networks, Qualcomm and Samsung.
Verizon released a video showing some highlights of its 5G plans.
A number of vendors and industry trade groups have begun to tout potential benefits of 5G, which is expected to see its first commercial deployments beginning in 2020. A number of key components are set to include a greater reliance on small cells, higher spectrum bands and network virtualization technologies.
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