Verizon Updates 5G Specifications, Launch Proposed in 2017

The U.S. telecom behemoth Verizon Communications Inc. VZ recently revealed the second round of specifications for the upcoming 5G wireless network. Last month, Verizon achieved a milestone as it became the first company in the world to issue an initial radio specification for the 5G wireless network. The second round of update was primarily on the mechanics of connecting to the network.

According to LightReading, Verizon is looking at mobile hotspot and fixed wireless for initial deployment of the next-generation 5G wireless networks in the U.S. by late 2017. Notably, the industry-wide standardization specification by the 3GPP is likely to be ready in Jun 2018. Thus, Verizon seems to be way ahead of its peers in its 5G wireless network rollout plans.

This wireless giant, which was the first to deploy 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network nationwide, is initially testing equipment at 15GHz, 28GHz, 39GHz and 64GHz frequency bands for 5G network deployments.  The company’s partners in its 5G projects are Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO, Ericsson LM ERIC, Nokia Corp. NOK, Qualcomm Inc. QCOM, Intel Corp. INTC, LG Electronics Inc. and Samsung.

Although several industry researchers have predicted that a full-fledged 5G network deployment will not commence until 2020, Verizon anticipates some level of commercial deployment in 2017. Industry researchers expect the Asia-Pacific region to spearhead the global deployment of 5G wireless networks. However, neither South Korea nor Japan -- the two leading countries opting for 5G network -- are likely to start commercial deployment before late 2018.

Advantages of 5G

Verizon claims that its 5G network will provide a download speed of 1 Gbps (gigabit per second), which is 200 times the throughput of the currently available standard 4G LTE network. The latency period of data delivery will be in single milliseconds. Additionally, 5G technology is designed to be more power efficient than any other standard wireless networks available at the moment. Therefore, 5G-enabled mobile devices are likely to last much longer than their 3G or 4G counterparts.

Additionally, superfast 5G mobile networks will be of utmost necessity in managing the exponential growth of Internet-connected devices, popularly known as Internet of Things (IoT). According to a recent report by research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide spending on IoT is slated to grow at a 17% compound annual growth rate to nearly $1.3 trillion in 2019 from $698.6 billion in 2015.

Bottom Line

The U.S. telecom industry has lately emerged as an intensely contested space where success thrives largely on technical superiority, quality of services and scalability. Thus, in order to stay ahead of competitors, existing players need to be constantly on their toes to introduce innovative products. Though the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), we believe Verizon’s drive for 5G wireless network augurs well for future growth.

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