Apple has filed an application with the FCC to begin testing “5G” wireless technology, Business Insider reports. The application for an experimental license for the new technology was filed by Apple and made public by the FCC earlier this week, and states in part that, “Apple Inc.
seeks to assess cellular link performance in direct path and multipath environments between base station transmitters and receivers using this spectrum,” and that “These assessments will provide engineering data relevant to the operation of devices on wireless carriers’ future 5G networks.” The application outlines Apple’s plans to test the technologies at two locations in Cupertino and Milpitas, California, transmitting from two fixed points at Apple facilities at these sites. While it’s not entirely clear what Apple’s goals are for this testing, the technology has the potential to significantly increase the speed and bandwidth of iPhone cellular connections, however the 28GHz band that Apple intends to test has also been allocated for earth-to-space transmissions, suggesting a possible connection to Apple’s rumoured move into satellite communications research.
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