How’s that 5G coming?
Not well, according to analysis out this Christmas Eve by Roger Cheng at CNet.
“The carriers were largely in testing mode (this year),” Cheng writes in a 5G wrap-up for 2019, “and consumers were the guinea pigs.”
Cheng’s detailed analysis of 5G work to date is …. Not kind.
Ripping the reception quality of new networks, Cheng cautions users not to buy a 5G phone right now, citing a bevy of shortcomings involving battery life and more, and suggesting that today’s phones are not “future-proofed” against 5G changes down the pike.
In terms of network, Cheng notes an irony in how competitors are actually proceeding, opining that beleaguered underdog Sprint has actually outperformed bigger rivals.
“Ironically, Sprint, which is saddled with the reputation for poor service, has the most robust network in the few cities it operates in,” Cheng writes. “It’s using mid-band spectrum, a sweet spot that gives you a mix of better speed and wider coverage. It’s also the type of spectrum that most of the world outside of the US is using. But given its financially strapped situation and the fact that it’s waiting for T-Mobile to snap it up, it’s hard to seriously consider.”
Stephen Shenck at Android Police is similarly circumspect.
“While all the carriers are eager to demonstrate high-speed 5G availability, actual access to 5G has been plagued by stipulations, misrepresentations, and half-truths,” Shenck wrote yesterday. “Some of that stems from confusion and ambiguity over just what counts as “5G,” a situation particularly capitalized on by AT&T and its 5G Evolution scheme.”
Then there’s the effect on the ground, where city officials see telecom companies working furiously, and, reportedly, with abandon, to get 5G infrastructure in.
“Comparing the 5G tech revolution to the California gold rush, Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins bemoaned the unsightly, sloppy and hazardous installation of telecommunications equipment on Miami streets,” wrote Linda Robertson at the beginning of September, chronicling the installation of lines and other gear there.
Robertson’s coverage at the Miami Herald quotes Higgins being blunt about 5G efforts:
“It’s a 5G fiasco … We have an absolute mess.”
Look for a hopefully better picture of 5G expansion in 2020 – and Merry Christmas
