Apple appears to be testing next-generation 5G data speeds near its California headquarters, Business Insider reports. The specific wireless technology is called millimeter wave that could potentially radically increase the speed and bandwidth of a cellular connection. This is the same type of technology that internet startup Starry uses to try and deliver gigabit Wi-Fi to homes.
An application for an experimental license to use new wireless technology, called millimeter wave, was signed on Tuesday and made public by the FCC. The application allows Apple to test the new technology from two locations in California including one near its current 1 Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino and the other in nearby Milpitas, CA. Apple Inc. seeks to assess cellular link performance in direct path and multipath environments between base station transmitters and receivers using this spectrum,” Apple wrote in its application.
Apple could perhaps be preparing its future iPhones to take advantage of 5G technology, or the company may have some other purpose in mind. The application from Apple has specifically mentioned the 28GHz and 39GHz bands, which were approved by FCC last year for commercial use for 5G applications, as per the report. In terms of making this specific technology that Apple is testing work as the next-generation solution, network providers will need to make whatever becomes 5G work alongside the existing 4G network easily just like the transition from 3G to LTE.
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