While South Dakota’s U.S. Senator John Thune is leading the push to adopt 5G networks before 2020, telecommunication companies are arguing to be the first to deploy the 5G network. Gillette News Record reports remote businesses thrive throughout the state due to the high bandwidth delivered to homes and businesses.
Despite rural and metropolitan disparities common in most parts of the country, South Dakota boasts much better broadband service in its rural areas. Most telecommunication companies have built out sturdy fiber networks capable of delivering high data speeds. As a result, South Dakota already has in place the critical element necessary to roll out 5G: a dense network capable of operating at fast speeds in both rural and urban environments.
Golden West Telecommunications CEO/GM Denny Law declared his company is ready for the change. “For 5G to be successful it will require a pretty phenomenal network to transport all of that data, and I think that’s the role a company like Golden West plays in that, to help facilitate 5G,” reports the Gillette News Record. With that goal in mind, small cells are being added throughout the state to densify wireless networks.
Unfortunately, Meagan Dorsch, a Verizon spokeswoman, explained there are issues when installing small cells. “Every South Dakota city is different and many local codes treat small cells the same as a larger traditional cell site.” To ensure 5G deploys on time, Dorsch hopes steps will be taken to reduce lengthy local processes for adding small cell locations.
May 30, 2017
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