From 2001 to 2015, Daniel Sheflin worked as the vice president of technology automation control solutions at Honeywell, where he oversaw more than 5,000 scientists and engineers in research and development. Now retired, Daniel Sheflin remains interested in wireless technology.

1. 5G Wireless Technology Is Just
around the Corner
Daniel Sheflin

2. Introduction
• From 2001 to 2015, Daniel Sheflin worked as the vice president of
technology automation control solutions at Honeywell, where he
oversaw more than 5,000 scientists and engineers in research and
development. Now retired, Daniel Sheflin remains interested in
wireless technology.
Qualcomm recently revealed the Snapdragon X50 modem, the first
chip for 5G wireless communication. The company believes
consumers can expect the technology in their devices as early as
2018.
Though 3G, 4G, and 4G LTE technology all use the same wireless
spectrum, 5G uses a different, higher-frequency spectrum. The new
spectrum will enable 5G technology to provide speeds projected at
100 times faster than LTE, and 10 times faster than Google Fiber.

3. 5G Wireless Technology
• Though speedy, 5G technology currently has drastic
limitations. The signals, which can only travel short distances,
are not very efficient at penetrating walls or around corners.
Qualcomm says its X50 chip will teach the company a lot
about this new technology and how it works. While current
modems are capable of supporting everything from 2G to
LTE, the current X50 is 5G only, meaning phone
manufacturers would have to include two wireless chips to
ensure compatibility with both new and old technology.
Qualcomm says South Korea will likely get the chip first, in
time for the country's hosting of the 2018 Winter Olympics.