5G technology means new opportunities for Americans and particularly Latinos

The first-annual White House Frontiers Conference held last week in Pittsburgh brought together a diverse collection of academics and thought leaders to discuss the future of American innovation in science and technology. Hosted by President Obama, it became clear throughout the daylong event that when it comes to Americans and technology—and specifically our incredible mobile revolution—communities and individuals from coast to coast are more connected than ever before.

Yet, while these extraordinary developments are already taking place, it’s important to remember that the best is still coming. 

{mosads}A vote in July signaled this new dawn breaking over the horizon. Specifically, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made a giant leap forward in wireless innovation by approving an order that signaled the greenlight for our nation’s transition to a 5G wireless network. This regulatory achievement was historic, and by embracing it and aggressively moving forward with testing and deployment of 5G networks in the U.S., we can ensure America maintains its position as a global technology leader while providing growing communities—and particularly Latinos—with countless new benefits and support.

How did so much importance rest on a seemingly simple FCC vote? In essence, it freed up high-band spectrum that will power next generation 5G networks and technologies. Spectrum is the backbone of the mobile industry and the most critical resource to ensuring communities have the resources they need to run efficiently and successfully while staying connected. 5G connectivity will be significantly faster than that of 4G LTE, while offering access to more information, services and applications than ever before.

To understand how important 5G will be in our everyday lives, consider these thoughts. First, Gartner predicts that the number of devices requiring Internet connection through wireless networks will more than triple by 2020 to almost 21 million devices. Second, there is limited spectrum available within the 4G frequency bands. However, 5G will reside in a higher frequency band than 4G and therefore allow significantly faster—up to tenfold—data transfer through the wireless networks.

These statistics are no doubt impressive. But it’s how they will transform the lives of Latinos that deserves more attention.

The Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP) advocates on behalf of the Latino community for access to all resources made possible through advancements in technology and telecommunications. And with a deployed 5G network, we can honor and protect this commitment. We would ensure that young Latinos we encourage to pursue higher education have the necessary tools powered by wireless technology. It is well known that Latinos use mobile devices to access the Internet more than any other segment of our society. The movement to 5G would empower Latinos to better utilize the full range of capabilities available through wireless telecommunications networks, for example access to medical information and occupational resources.

Simply put, new networks mean new opportunities for Latino communities.

The FCC did its part this summer, and now comes the focus and hard work. We must mobilize in communities and cities throughout the country to ensure the proper infrastructure is in place at the state and local levels to support new 5G networks that will require a denser network architecture comprised of small cells or connection points that will need access to public rights-of-way, utility poles and other facilities. This will require critical collaboration and partnerships between federal, state and local governments and the private sector to ensure timely and successful deployment of this network of the future.

Our nation, as signaled by regulatory bodies like the FCC in July, has made tremendous strides in supporting our historic mobile revolution. Now, months later, we must continue to foster the determination to ensure our nation’s wireless future is bright and limitless. Let’s join together and keep the momentum for 5G up. Future generations will thank us.

Rosa Mendoza is the Executive Director at the Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership.