COLORADO SPRINGS — Members of Colorado Springs City Council will get an update on plans to launch the first 5G wireless network in the city during their work session Monday afternoon.
Fifth generation wireless networks can reportedly download a minimum of 40 to 60 times more data per second than the current 4G LTE networks and they can handle 10 times the number of connected devices.
However, demand on wireless networks is expected to grow exponentially in future years as cars, appliances, and even home heating and lighting systems are all expected to be connected to the web.
The design of 5G wireless networks call for the installation of several small cell antennae on buildings or streetlights to compliment the signals distributed via traditional cell phone towers. Cellular companies are beginning to install small cells and will determine when 5G will be available to customers in Colorado Springs.
In 2018, the City of Colorado Springs and Panasonic announced a smart city strategic partnership called SmartCOS to deploy advanced technologies to improve public services.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story inaccurately stated that the first small cell 5G networks were expected to come online by the end of the year. While installation is underway, the commercial availability of 5G service is not yet known.
