For users, speed is the key

Fifth-generation wireless technology may one day handle sci-fi tasks like guiding driverless cars, but today’s consumers are more concerned with making their phones work faster.

That fact wasn’t lost on mobile carriers at the giant CES consumer technology show in Las Vegas last week.

Fully-fledged 5G networks are still more than a year away in the US, but selling investors on the idea and touting eye-popping speeds is every bit the game — even if it means slapping that label on technology that isn’t really fifth generation.

For example, AT&T will rebrand recent models of 4G Android phones as 5G Evolution or “5G E”, a transitional step intended to reflect speed and capacity upgrades to the carrier’s current network.

And if it’s noticeably faster, mobile customers might not split hairs about 5G definitions, says BTIG analyst Walt Piecyk.

“The broad availability of ‘real 5G’ could be years away, providing AT&T with a window of opportunity to surpass Verizon’s historical dominance as the wireless network leader in the US,” he says.

The mobile carriers are touting benefits such as virtually eliminating “latency” — those annoying delays when you’re trying to connect — enabling services that aren’t possible now, and supporting many times more connections than 4G within the same service area.

Among AT&T’s plans are deals to help cities automate some services, and embedding more communications technology in cars.

But as well as the potential consumer benefits, 5G has also set off warning bells among US executives and the military. This month, a retired US general said China’s desire to dominate new wireless technology posed a global threat that should be thwarted by a new, secure network.

China will gain a capability for mayhem and mass surveillance if it dominates advanced 5G networks that link billions of devices, retired Air Force Brigadier General Robert Spalding said in a memo obtained by Bloomberg News.

“The more connected we are, and 5G will make us the most connected by far, the more vulnerable we become,” said Spalding, who left the National Security Council last year.

Beyond the security implications, the building of 5G could unleash many billions of dollars of spending on product development and networks. And for carriers, 5G can open the door to sales of advanced services.

Fifth-generation wireless technology may one day handle scifi tasks like guiding driverless cars