5G kind of sucked this year. Here's how it may get better. (The Daily Charge, 12/10/2019)

We've talked 5 G all year but let's be frank. It's actually been a huge disappointment. We break down Why should still hold out some hope for 2020. Stick around for your daily charge. [MUSIC] Good morning. Welcome to the daily charge. It's Tuesday, December 10. I'm Roger Chang. And I'm Eli Blumenthal and let's get today's headlines. [MUSIC] 5 G has been well underwhelming. The Next Generation wireless technology came into this year with a Huge amount of hype but it was a confusing mess from the start. First it was AT&T's 5GE which, again, is not real 5G. Then we had Verizon's grand launch in a handful of city blocks. Verizon hooked up a few stadiums as well, but only certain sections could actually access the network. Then T-Mobile last week lauched this nationwide network. And as Eli tested last week, Speeds were fine but just a minor boost over 4G so Eli what do you make of all this? It's still very, very, very early days for 5G. Do you think the carriers kind of overstep things by hyping 5G? We're partly guilty of this because we've written the crap out of 5G but do you think we're We went overboard the industry go overboard and hyping up 5G. Well, I think there's a couple of factors that play. I think 5G does have the potential to really be a transformational technology that that real. Yeah. I mean, it's not obviously there yet, but. In due time, it really can be. In can provide a home broadband type Internet wherever you are, and there's something to be said for that. Right. That will enable a whole host of new things, whether it's driverless cars or better streaming. Telemedicine. Telemedicine, all of that is very much possible. But at the same point in time, we have to take baby steps instead of just thinking we can run before we walk right? I think what the issue of had I guess for this year and really the last year leading up into 2019. There's just a lot of talk and a lot of rhetoric about how 2019 was going to the year 5G you had these first commercial launches and a lot of these launches turned out to be, Fairly limited from a consumer perspective, like the experience is generally not been great. No, it hasn't. As you mentioned for eisenerz only on a handful city blocks Yep Yet though on those city blocks if you're wanting to stand outside on the street corners Amazing, You can get really really good speeds over a gigabit. at&t has millimeter wave and like 21 cities, but they're not letting anyone touch it yet. Yep, That won't be until 2020 And then lastly there's Sprint Rights group, which actually I think has probably the best sprinters because the best network out there. If I were to rate 5G networks print would actually be number one, even though they're only live in nine cities. They actually work indoors and out with a notice a very very notable speed boost your getting a hundred and fifty to two hundred. Megabits per second indoors, which is great. I replaced my home internet for a couple of days with it and it was fine. I played Xbox Live fine. I browse the web right streamed and 4k. It worked. So we have some reason to be helpful for 2020. You know, sharp tip can A nice story over the weekend about 5G might be better for next year. We're looking at sort of the type of processors, the type of modems that are able to access more bands of 5G. Generally, things are gonna be better, and cheaper, and, I don't know, more accessible for people, right? As happens with technology, over time it gets a lot better. Right. The early adaptors, the first wave is pretty much always been buggy, for the lack of other term. This has necessarily been buggy, but generation two is gonna be a hell lot better than generation one. Right, and then generation two is really right around the corner at this point. Yeah, I mean the Galaxy S11 has been rumored to be featuring it and Samsung usually reveals that in around Feb February March time frame so yeah, they should prove kick off a new wave of love you phones at home. Yeah, the early part of 2020 hopefully are not graciously expensive. So one thing is crossed fingers crossed. All right, speaking of T-Mobile Sprint. The two companies went to court yesterday to Duke it out with more than a dozen State Attorneys General. We're suing to block their merger. The outcome has huge ramifications for the wireless world if T-Mobile and Sprint are victorious. The deal could reshape how you get mobile service. They lose, well a lot of questions about what happens to Sprint. Eli, you were there in court. What did you see? So, it was kind of an odd first day in court. So the judge actually got rid of opening statements which kind of threw everything off because both the ages and T Mobile sprint, were ready to give their remarks. These are big law firms and really excited to talk. [LAUGH] So that's. They get paid to talk. Get paid to talk. Yeah. They actually delay things a little bit. The first. Person up was Roger Chalet who is T Mobile, not T Mobile, who is Sprint chief marketing officer. He didn't really say too much I was exciting. Not much that we didn't already know what's about. [UNKNOWN] He pretty much stuck to that. It will be interesting to see what happens over the coming weeks when you have people like John Ledger, T Mobile CEO and Mike Siever, T Mobile CO soon to be CEO. Neville Ray, Charlie Urgan the DISH co-founder Maybe coming in to become a [UNKNOWN] player. Yeah, in my mind I think Charlie Oregon is probably the most interesting witness, because he really has to make the case that his company is willing to invest and become that viable fourth bidder, something the company has shown no willingness to do in the past. Right, they've had Spectrum for years. Right. Lots and lots of it. One of the big critiques that the agents make, and it's a very valid one is that he has no experience running a wireless company. This isn't a terribly thriving, you know? Yeah, I don't like company. It's like they're making money hand over their. Even the core businesses like not that well runs right. So now all of a sudden, you're going to go take. The stab at wireless. That's not an easy transition All right. And we're propping up a fourth carrier to replace a fourth carrier. That doesn't really seem like it's going to make a lot of sense, will be interesting to see how I guess Charlie free describes himself and describes his ambitions. Well, we can only hope that john legere will drop a couple f bombs during his testimony. I doubt it. I know he'll be on his best behavior but that would be amazing to see in court. It was. And this Charles going to be pretty quick. Yeah. Depending on how many hours each side uses the sun could be wrapped up before Christmas. That's what the judge said right? He basically wanted like, I don't I don't want to spend Christmas dealing with this. Yeah, he will get this done. He described either two different scenarios, at least yesterday, December 20, Friday, December 20, as one option or Monday, December 23. Okay. And kind of was asking both sides to really pick one of those dates and. Wrap this thing up by then. Wow. For The Daily Charge I'm Roger Cheng. I'm Eli Blumenthal. Thanks for joining us. [MUSIC]