White House To Invest $400 Million in 5G Research

The Obama administration approved large lines of high-band spectrum for 5G networks as part of a $400 million investment in researching the next step in wireless. In addition to the government’s investment, the wireless industry is chipping in with a supplemented $35 million. Some contributing wireless companies include Verizon, AT&T, Samsung, and T-Mobile.

The Advanced Wireless Research Initiative, will be spearheaded by the National Science Foundation. According to ZDNet, the National Science Foundation will be spending $50 million over the next five years in order to design and build wireless testing platforms that will be four-cities wide. The platforms will utilize a network of soft-defined radio antennas that will simulate the already existing networks in cities.

By mimicking the existing cellular networks, researchers can test and make changes accordingly in a real-world setting. An estimated $350 million of the National Science Foundation’s money will go towards a seven-year fundamental research plan that will utilize the city-wide platforms.  

Four U.S. cities that will house the platforms have yet to be decided as they will be chosen via a competition. “Twenty-first century businesses need twenty-first century infrastructure”,  noted in the official fact sheet for the project from the White House.