Verizon wants to be the first carrier in the United States to start field-testing an ultra-fast 5G wireless network and that’s probably why an executive has confirmed that Verizon 5G test will kick off within 12 months. The carrier expects that it will be able to go through with some level of commercial deployment as soon as 2017 for this next-generation wireless network. If it’s able to do that Verizon will then beat the industry belief that 5G wireless will only arrive in or after 2020.
Chief information and technology architect at Verizon, Roger Gurnani, said during an interview that the carrier is going to start field trials of the 5G wireless network within the next 12 months. It was he who mentioned that Verizon could move towards some level of commercial deployment by 2017.
The next-generation wireless network will bring a major speed bump for consumers who will no doubt appreciate that. Verizon’s tests show that connection speeds on the 5G network can be 30 to 50 times faster than what subscribers get on the existing 4G LTE network.
Couple that with other advantages of 5G which include better responsiveness and power efficiency and you have a great platform to drive further growth in mobile and services in the future.
All of that will come later though, for now Verizon’s focus is on the technology field trials and accelerating the technology to ensure that it can be launched in some form by the year 2017.