For about a year now we have heard Verizon talk about plans to release a 5G home router. This 5G home router would run off its new 5G Internet over its cellular network and offer gigabit Internet in your house without the need to run fiber to your house.
The promise of 5G is it would make offering gigabyte Internet easier and less expensive. Currently, the only real way to do this is to run fiber to each home, a process that could take years to do in every town. Now, 5G promises to do the same thing in a few months at a fraction of the cost.
This has been a dream for years and now is one step closer to reality. This week Verizon introduced its new 5G home Internet router. It takes the 5G signal from Verizon’s wireless network and turns it into Wi-Fi to connect your laptop, streaming player, and a host of other devices to. Pricing and a release date are unknown but it is expected to go on sale in the next year or so in select markets.
Verizon is building its 5G network with the focus being home Internet. To prepare for this new 5G home Internet, Verizon is spending over a billion dollars to run more fiber to its cellphone towers.
The goal here is to bring real competition to the home Internet market. One that for most Americans only has a couple options to pick from.
Currently AT&T and Verizon seem to be taking the lead on 5G. AT&T yesterday launched its second 5G network, and Verizon plans to have a handful of markets with 5G by the end of 2017.
Currently Dish, Google, Charter, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T have plans to launch a 5G network in the United States. Each says it plans to have over half Americans covered with 5G in 2020.
Source: PC Mag
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