back to article Verizon: we're going to start bringing you 5G NEXT YEAR (sort of)

Verizon is planning to test its 5G wireless broadband network next year. The US telecom giant said it would be working with a group including Samsung, Ericsson, Nokia, Cisco, Qualcomm, and Alacatel-Lucent to launch a 2016 trial for technology that could power the network. Verizon said it plans to have a pair of "sandbox" test …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    5-12 Mb 4G network

    According to the ITU, 4G was supposed to be 100 Mb, so until they get this "5G" they won't really have 4G yet.

  2. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    Yep

    Yep. 4G was supposed to be at least 100mbps peak speed. And it is. You're comparing "expected" speeds with peak speeds. The initlal LTE rollout VZW did (10x10mhz in the 700mhz band) peaked at like 75mbps. It didn't quite meet the speed minimum, but was obviously a new technology compared to the existing 3G systems*. Now, however, they've rolled out additional LTE in AWS and possibly PCS, and it all supports aggregation, so now peak is well over 100mbps.

    *(Unlike AT&T, and IWireless, to name and shame two, who falsely began relabelling even 3.6mbps HSPA as "4G". Really confusing now that AT&T has LTE as well, so now they claim to have 2 4G networks, although they really have 1 or 0 depending on how strict you want to be.)

    Anyway, color me cynical. I have 0 interest in even more speeds, given the extreme cost of service. I've got grandfathered unlimited data... but, I don't care if I could get 500mbps when they're charging $6.67-$30/GB! (1GB of data -- $30, 3GB for $45, 6GB for $60 or 12GB for $80.. oh that's with *0* lines, they then charge $20 a line to use that data! And, insanely, above the 12GB plan, they have more but the price per GB goes back *up* to $15/GB!)

  3. W Donelson

    What about walls, rain? The signal won't penetrate...

    *Godzilla Facepalm*

  4. cortland

    Faster but smaller?

    Verizon's new data plans max out at 12 GB/month before $15/GB overage charges accrue.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like