Faster Wireless to Guide Cars, Water Plants, in Plans at the FCC
By Todd Shields
(Bloomberg) — U.S. regulators next month will vote on freeing airwaves for a new generation of faster wireless systems that could support remote surgery, guide cars, and control electricity grids, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said Monday.
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The FCC on July 14 will consider steps to identify and open up “vast amounts of spectrum” for so-called 5G wireless systems that are 10 to 100 times faster than current mobile networks, Wheeler said in a speech in Washington. 5G stands for fifth generation; today’s smartphone technology is considered 4G.
“The FCC will have the opportunity to take an historic step to open up yet another frontier that promises to propel our nation — and the world — forward,” Wheeler said. He sketched a vision that included pill bottles, devices to water plants, and uses yet to be imagined.
The FCC deserves credit for acting quickly, said Meredith Attwell Baker, president of CTIA, a trade group with members including AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. “All five FCC commissioners and Congress — on a bipartisan basis — support this expedited process,” Baker said in a blog post.
Source: TheWHIR