08/11/2020

The White House Announces a Plan to Speed the Rollout of 5G

The Pentagon will share part of the wireless spectrum allowing telecom carriers

Superfast 5G wireless isn’t exactly spreading across the US at superfast speeds. The White House and Defense Department on Monday announced a plan to accelerate the process by making a crucial new chunk of spectrum available to the wireless industry.

The spectrum, which telecom companies will share with the Pentagon, aims to help wireless carriers offer 5G more broadly across the US. It also should generate billions of dollars for the US Treasury when auctioned off. The frequency is currently being used for high-power defense radar, but the DoD has determined that it can be freed up without affecting military systems.

“It’s a big deal,” for the wireless industry, said Jason Leigh, an analyst at IDC who focuses on 5G. “The US is desperate for some mid-band spectrum.”

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.