Verizon, KT to work together on 5G standard; US Telecom says FCC could impede 5G Deployment
1. Verizon and KT to collaborate on 5G standard and technology:
Verizon Communications (VZ) and Korea Telecom (KT) will collaborate on development of 5G wireless technology ahead of a planned 2018 demonstration of the proposed standard.
KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu noted in a statement: “Global partnership for the 5G standardization is very crucial ahead of its planned commercialization in 2020.”
Up till recently, it appeared VZ didn’t agree as the US carrier had announced 5G trials before ITU-R even defined what 5G is and the specs aren’t to be finalized till the end of 2020. VZ inked a partnership with Samsung to make their 5G trials real.
Carriers and manufacturers are making their 5G speed tests public, but until a global standard is established, it is difficult to gauge the accuracy of the 5G speed tests by the companies.
The 5G service is expected to roll out by 2020, but Korea Telecom aims to be ahead of the pack and deliver 5G capabilities by 2018 during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The deal between KT and Verizon means that the latter will pool its efforts to push out the next generation of wireless service, which should make sure KT checks its objective. Keep in mind that Verizon was the first carrier that introduced 4G LTE service in the United States and there is a high chance to repeat the feat with 5G.
Although 5G remains a debatable subject, a tight partnership of the two large global carriers can make sure that the technical infrastructure is ready quicker than expected.
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