Executives at Qualcomm shared the belief that consumers will begin reaping the benefits of 5G connectivity by 2019. The prediction featured an additional year added on after many industry experts originally projected the innovative data network to first become accessible (2018). The reason behind the added year is mainly due to what Qualcomm described as an increasing demand from eager tech fans and businesses.
While speaking at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Qualcomm CEO Steven Mollenkopf was noted saying how if he was asked when to expect the public debut of 5G devices a year earlier, the answer would have been in the 2020s instead. During his keynote speech as the Frankfurt Motor Show that was titled “New Mobility World,” Mollenkopf described 5G as a key element for automotive innovation in the coming years. The CEO got into detail on how specific technologies (both established and in development) such as vehicle-to-everything technologies will have the capability to communicate with everything (thanks to 5G), from traffic signals to other vehicles and even pedestrians.
According to Qualcomm, 5G phones and services are expected to launch in the United States, South Korea, and Japan during the 2019 year. China is expected to see 5G debut around the same time, but could wind up happening after the nations initially mentioned. Nonetheless, Qualcomm appeared confident of there being a high demand, with carriers wanting to act quickly on launching competing services so they won’t get left behind.
Qualcomm itself has invested a great deal of money, resources, and time by not only trying to assure 5G’s quick arrival, but also its roaring success when that point occurs. One way to exemplify 5G’s projected capabilities is Qualcomm’s announcement of a chipset that solely focuses on vehicle-to-everything communication known as the 9150 C-V2X, which is expected to be released in late-2018.
Qualcomm has been working with several high-profile mobile service providers including Verizon and Sprint, on testing 5G technologies. Qualcomm is additionally working with companies like Nokia to test 5G NR radio technology, which will play an essential role in Qualcomm’s plans of providing next-generation cellular system functioning by 2019.
It’s worth noting Qualcomm isn’t the only company delving this deeply in 5G research and preparation. Huawei and Deutsche Telekom announced a collaborative project involving their live 5G NR testing in Berlin, which is described as the first 3GPP 5G connection of its kind in Europe, which saw a connectivity speed of 2 Gbps. Like Qualcomm, Huawei said its partnership with Deutsche Telekom is expecting to see 5G services launched in Europe by 2020.
