While 5G phones are now beginning to appear on the market, a practical consumer 5G network is yet to roll out across the world. Donald Trump doesn’t care, though, folks, he wants it and 6G as soon as possible.
[jwplayer YVhFElEe]
To be fair, the current US President is mostly just demanding 5G, as you can see in the tweet below, but it’s also incredibly weird to even mention 6G, something that doesn’t even exist on a theoretical level yet.
I want 5G, and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible. It is far more powerful, faster, and smarter than the current standard. American companies must step up their efforts, or get left behind. There is no reason that we should be lagging behind on………
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2019
No one really knows why this has become the issue of the minute for Trump, but as The Verge points out, it could be due to his concerns that Chinese tech companies could be getting an early lead on 5G, which was largely confirmed as a total nonsense claim.
“The key thing to understand is that 5G is not actually a network,” The Verge explains. “It’s a set of standards, a broad technical specification necessary to ensure the wireless industry is working with roughly the same tools from company to company over the next 10 years.”
While 5G will almost certainly begin rolling out at some point soon, the concept of 6G hasn’t even been remotely mentioned or even thought of by those in the field. It’s like demanding a PlayStation 6 when we don’t even know what the PlayStation 5 looks like.
Perhaps Trump’s just keen for US technology to be looking as far ahead as it possibly can, but regardless, it’s an odd statement to make for someone in his position. One step at a time, pal.
