Here's what the White House is doing to help deploy 5G networks
The White House is getting serious about 5G.
At a White House event on Friday, President Donald Trump and FCC chairman Ajit Pai will announce their plans to help boost 5G development in the United States, according to Axios. The FCC voted on several resolutions this morning that will begin the process of auctioning the rights to high-frequency airwaves that will enable the deployment of 5G infrastructure by private companies. This is part of the White House's "5G Fast" plan, which seeks to support the widespread development and deployment of 5G across the country.
"Later this year, we're going to be holding the biggest auction of spectrum in American history," Ajit Pai told Bloomberg. "We will be allocating more spectrum for commercial 5G than all the mobile providers in America have today combined."
SEE ALSO:What is 5G? — Clarification Please5G, the next generation of mobile connectivity, promises super fast wireless speeds. Proponents say that 5G's speeds and increased device capacity will usher in a new era of internet use — one where autonomous cars, phones, and devices of all kinds are communicating with each other seamlessly.
To understand what the FCC's announcement means for you, we need to get back to basics.
Wireless networks run on radio waves. The FCC controls who gets to use these waves through an auction process. Friday's announcement means that it's opening up a whole new swath of frequencies that companies can use to run 5G.
"Spectrum availability is a big part of the equation," Pai said.
Right now in the U.S., 5G is in its infancy. Verizon launched its first 5G wireless network in Chicago and Minneapolis on April 3. Other carriers including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint have plans to deploy 5G later this year. But the availability is, and will be for quite some time, extremely limited — never mind that you actually need a 5G-enabled phone, and enough data to take advantage of 5G, to actually make use of the network.
An important step to building out 5G is having the rights to the radio waves on which the network runs. The FCC has held two prior auctions for high frequency waves. The auction it announced on Friday will be the largest of its kind. Giving private companies access to these frequencies means they'll have the technical capacity to expand these networks beyond the limited urban hubs they're working on today.
It also means that any plans for a national 5G network are likely dead. A White House source told Axios that the administration favors private sector development over a government-run network. One unified 5G network, like South Korea just launched, would have helped consolidate efforts in the race to 5G. But the FCC's plan is to leave it to private companies to build out the network, and let them fight it out for users.
Not everyone is cheering the move. Democratic FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel tweeted that today's announcement doesn’t make up for how Trump has impeded 5G progress. Namely, she claims Trump has compromised relationships with allies and device makers, particularly in China and Europe.
Tweet may have been deleted
Trump's 5G plan gives companies the airwaves it needs to make 5G a reality. It won't necessarily speed up deployment, because that still requires a hefty amount of technical work. But it frees up space for the network of the future to realize its potential.
UPDATE: April 12, 2019, 4 p.m. EDT
President Trump held a White House event announcing the 5G initiative on Friday afternoon. The White House tweeted video from the Oval Office, in which the President touted the abilities of 5G to "transform the way Americans work, learn, communicate, and travel."
"5G networks will create astonishing and really thrilling opportunities for our people," President Trump said.
Tweet may have been deleted
Featured Video For You
YouTube to livestream Coachella performances by Childish Gambino, Pusha T and more
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
-
Fiction ...[详细]
-
本报讯“9·5”泸定6.8级地震发生后,石棉县教育系统立即启动应对地震的应急处置工作方案,通过全面排查、精准帮扶、心理疏导等方式开展受灾学生资助帮扶工作,做到不漏一人、应助尽助,确保学生不因地震失学。 ...[详细]
-
12月24日上午,青岛微电子产业园暨集成式智能传感器项目奠基仪式在崂山区北宅街道举行。项目一期计划于2021年完成园区工程建设,2022年完成产线安装并投产,2024年全部投产后将具备年产10亿只智能 ...[详细]
-
勇立潮头开新局 创新领航谋发展 青岛工行全面助推自贸区高质量发展
自2019年中国(山东)自由贸易试验区青岛片区正式挂牌以来,青岛这座青春之城重新焕发出金融创新的强劲活力和韧性。三年来,中国工商银行青岛市分行积极践行大行担当,通过金融服务创新,对自贸区企业加大支持力 ...[详细] -
I got a chance to play around with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and man, it looks like we have to completely ...[详细]
-
中国山东网8月8日讯 8月8日19:30,“天空之城”久石让•宫崎骏-亲子动漫视听音乐会将在金沙滩啤酒城凤凰之声大剧院上演,给大家带来视听盛宴。音乐会由中世爱乐乐团演 ...[详细]
-
“赏析•饰美”服饰文化市集开集 大学路文艺老街再添时尚新活力
中国山东网6月13日讯6月13日,骆驼祥子博物馆北侧的停车场格外热闹,“赏析•饰美”服饰文化市集开集了!市集以服饰文化为主题,30多个摊位,上百种商品,服装、首饰、工 ...[详细] -
他们带着《我的天空》来了 南征北战NZBZ组合将在金沙滩啤酒城激情开唱
中国山东网8月14日讯 青岛啤酒节,醉美西海岸。自7月31日第30届青岛国际啤酒节开幕以来,金沙滩啤酒城一波又一波的精彩文艺活动将节庆氛围推向了高潮。8月14日、8月15日每晚19:00-21:00, ...[详细] -
Europe now has a huge AI gap, for better or for worse
When it comes to tech, Europe has been on a slightly separate track from the U.S. for a while, but t ...[详细] -
遇见“莓”好!蓝莓产业支撑广东乡村产业振兴调研行动启动!_南方+_南方plus3月6日,蓝莓产业支撑广东乡村产业振兴调研行动以下简称“调研行动”)启动会在广东仲恺农业工程学院举行。本次调研行动旨在通过 ...[详细]