Sprint Corp (S) Reveals Plans for 5G Network by End of 2019, Well, Sort Of…

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Sprint Corp (NYSE:S) is making the move to a 5G, partnering with QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) and Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp (OTCMKTS:SFTBF), to have a network and devices in place and operating by the end of 2019, according to a Sprint announcement. Sprint’s majority owner is Softbank.

Source: Sprint

Announcement may be overstating the 59-word post on Sprint’s website. Though short on details, the news shouldn’t surprise anyone who follows the telecoms industry. Sprint is the last of the major digital telecoms providers to reveal plans for fifth-generation services, expected to offer technology that will be up to 100 times faster than current 4G LTE data transfer, with speeds of up to 14 gigabits per second, according to lab tests. The speed would be quite huge for consumers who want to stream or download movies and shows via wireless connections.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced in January that it will test 5G technology with DirecTV this year. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is already testing the innovative service, following its move to co-found the 5G Open Trial Specification Alliance, designed to form a common spec for 5G testing.

Sprint’s news met with immediate skepticism, mostly for the absence of technical specs. Website The Verge noted that “the carrier is looking to develop its 5G network in the 2.5GHz band of spectrum (E-UTRA LTE Band 41, to be precise), meaning that Sprint doesn’t seem to be pursing millimeter wave for 5G at this time. But beyond that, there’s virtually no information as to how Sprint will roll out a new nationwide network over the next two and a half years, or what technologies it will be using to separate it from its existing 4G network.”

Critics point to a lack of industry standards for 5G as hurdles for any carrier to succeed in deploying the faster technology. No organization has yet emerged along the lines of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which united seven telecommunications standard development organizations for advancing 3G technologies. Similarly, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has not issued guidance for technology developers and carriers.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2017/05/sprint-5g-network-to-roll-out-by-end-of-2019/.

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