The Federal Communications Commission is throwing its support behind two 5G testbeds — one in New York City, one in Salt Lake City — with experimental licensing which will let companies and universities more easily take their 5G testing into real-world urban locations.
Funding for the two 5G testbeds was announced last year by the National Science Foundation. The FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology said this week that it is establishing expanded Innovation Zones in the testbed cities that will “provide opportunities for qualified licensees to test new advanced technologies and prototype networks – such as those that can support 5G technologies – outside a traditional small campus or laboratory setting.”