Checking in with Nokia's North American CTO on 'iconic projects' moving 5G forward in 2017.

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

January 19, 2017

2 Min Read
Nokia CTO: 2017 Is the Year 5G Gets in the Field

Nokia's North American CTO says that 2017 is the year that 5G will move out of its proof-of-concept phase with carriers on the cutting edge rolling out "iconic projects" this year.

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK)'s North American CTO, Michael Murphy, talking to me this week, said that 2016 had been a "prototype" year for 5G.

"2017 is the year we move out of that and move into early products, and into the field," Murphy said.

These early products will be used in what Murphy calls "iconic projects" for 5G. So what exactly is an iconic project?

To Murphy, these are trials with actual users onboard and more than just the bare minimum of infrastructure installed. "There's a crystal clear delivery date and an intent to deliver more than one or two units," the CTO says.

For all the latest news on 5G, visit the 5G site here on Light Reading.

Murphy didn't want to get deep into specifics, but it was obvious to me that the Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) fixed wireless user trials and Korea Telecom's anticipated 5G deployment at the Winter Olympics in 2018 were on his mind.

The Verizon and KT deployments will use very similar 5G specifications, Murphy notes, the main difference being that Verizon is taking the fixed wireless route, while KT is going mobile.

This will likely mean 5G home routers for the Verizon project, and maybe tablets in South Korea. "5G will have some pretty heavy processing demands, which lends itself to a larger form factor," Murphy said, while stressing that he didn't know Samsung's plans for devices.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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