Who will win the 5G race?

5G is currently the most anticipated in the world of technology and communications.

13:51 31 May 2018

Although its standards are not yet clearly defined, most of the industry agrees that it is pointing towards low-latency networks that are capable of 1Gbps type speeds or higher.

 

Currently, there are 77 operators trialling 5G across 49 countries, each hoping to become the first one to launch the service commercially on or before 2020. But who is winning the 5G race so far?

 

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona, it has emerged that Europe was at risk of falling behind on 5G use cases mainly due to a lack of urgency among large mobile operators. However, certain companies in Europe are still up for the challenge. In Ireland, for example, five firms have already been awarded spectrum in the 3.6Ghz band after bidding ¢78million between them. Meanwhile, in the UK, Digital Minister Margot James have called for a new generation of mobile phone masts just this week to prepare UK for the launch of 5G in 2020.

 

In the US, AT&T wants to be the first US carrier to have 5G available in 12 cities by the end of this year.

 

However, based on efforts being exerted and recent developments, it seems that Asian telcos and tech giants will make the fastest headway in getting 5G off the ground and into the air. Experts predict that cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul will have access to 5G from 2020 onwards.