The First 5G device, is this a phone?

In 2019 we are expected to see the rollout of a new 5G network around the world. Some US based networks are in fact boasting that they will rolling out by 2018. Most users have been assuming that the first 5G capable devices will be in the form of a smartphone, which is a fair assumption based on the history of  mobile networks, however this may not be the case for the future.

At the recent Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Intel’s concept 5G PC was unveiled, promising devices to be available on the market in the second half of 2019. You can expect these PC’s to be available through partner brands such as Dell, HP or Lenovo. The promise of 5G ubiquity means that we may also see 5G become a standard in the PC world, just as WiFi is today. Not too long ago, Intel’s efforts saw WI-Fi become a standard in all laptops, which may very well be the direction 5G is taking.

So why put a mobile data and communication standard in a laptop? Put simply, Intel is lagging behind the current market leader Qualcomm. For some time now, Intel have been trying to break into the mobile phone market with their processors and chipsets however have been unable to rival their competitor until now. Qualcomm also announced at the Mobile World Congress that they have been developing new modem designs and working with carriers on the 5G implementation. This will basically be a race to see who will develop the first 5G chipset on the market.