US TELCOS DISPUTE KOREAN CLAIM OF LAUNCHING 1ST 5G NETWORK
NEW YORK/SEOUL— South Korea had claimed on Wednesday that it had beaten the United States and China in the race to launch the first commercial 5G network.
But US telcos AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. “angrily rejected” the claim, which was based on a new network connected to an actual 5G phone, Reuters reported on Saturday.
Angry rejections
AT&T wrote Reuters to say it was the victor because it had announced on Dec. 18 that it planned to launch its 5G network in 12 US cities that month.
However, the AT&T network is available only to consumers using a mobile hotspot device, not 5G phones.
Verizon, on the other hand, said it had already launched its 5G network and that would be available on a new Motorola phone—though only in Chicago and Minneapolis.
The intensity with which companies disputed each other’s claims underscores the high stakes in the race.
The industry is expected to spend $275 billion over seven years in the United States alone, according to Accenture estimates.
The winner is seen playing a central role in helping to generate some $12.3 trillion in annual revenue across a broad range of industries by 2035, according to IHS Markit.
But experts said the jockeying will mean little to consumers.
Much ado over nothing
“They’re tripping over themselves to claim they have a 5G network,” he said. “But we’re years away from it having any impact on user experiences.”
Bragging rights aside, being first is a matter of national pride.
So excited was US President Donald Trump about dominating the telecoms future, he invented a technology that does not yet exist—6G—in a Feb. 21 tweet.
“I want 5G, and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible… It is far more powerful, faster, and smarter than the current standard. American companies must step up their efforts, or get left behind,” he said.