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Behind the scenes at U.N. telecoms agency, 5G edges closer to reality

Before telecoms can revolutionize their equipment, the International Telecommunication Union must develop new technical standards for putting it all to use.

Ad for 5G technology on a rail car in the Washington, D.C. Metro
Ad for 5G technology on a rail car in the Washington, D.C. Metro (AN/J. Heilprin)

GENEVA (AN) — As telecoms hurtle down a racecourse towards the next generation of high-speed wireless technology, United Nations technical experts function as race directors working behind the starting gates.

The advent of 5G, or fifth-generation wireless technology, has the mobile industry buzzing these days with promises of data speeds like those of landline broadband — cutting the time to download movies down to a matter of seconds.

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