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The next generation of cellular technology comes with its own vocabulary. Here's a handy glossary of the key terms that keep popping up.

Those crazy-fast 5G networks are right around the corner.

Unfortunately, they also come with their own vocabulary of tech jargon and buzzwords that wireless industry executives throw around a little too casually.

First off, a quick definition of 5G: It's the next (fifth) generation of cellular technology which promises to greatly enhance the speed, coverage and responsiveness of wireless networks. How fast are we talking about? Think 10 to 100 times speedier than your typical cellular connection, and even faster than anything you can get with a physical fiber-optic cable going into your house. (You'll be able to download a season's worth of "Stranger Things" in seconds.)

Watch this:What the heck is a 5G network?

It's not just about supercharging your phone's connection to the network either; 5G is seen as the underlying technology allowing self-driving cars to talk to each other, or for people to wirelessly stream super high-definition virtual reality content into their headsets.

In other words, it's going to be huge.

Early 5G networks will pop up as soon as this year, but expect broader availability in closer to 2019 to 2020, as network equipment gets upgraded and 5G-compatible phones are released.

But as the hype and reality of 5G crashes upon us now, you're going to start to hear references to words that don't sound like they belong in the English language. Fortunately, CNET is here to decipher the wonkiest of words for you.

5G NR: The 5G bit is pretty obvious, but the NR stands for New Radio. You don't have to know a lot about this beyond the fact that it's the name of the standard that the entire wireless industry is rallying behind, and it just came out in December.

That's important because it means everyone is on the same page when it comes to their mobile 5G networks. Carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile are following 5G NR as they build their networks. But Verizon, which began testing 5G as a broadband replacement service before the standard was approved, isn't using the standard -- yet. The company says it will eventually adopt 5G NR for its broadband service, and intends to use NR for its 5G mobile network.

Here's what Verizon's 5G field test looks like

Mm wave: All cellular networks use airwaves to ferry data over the air, with standard networks using spectrum in lower frequency bands like 700 megahertz. Generally, the higher the band or frequency, the higher the speed you can achieve. The consequence of higher frequency, however, is shorter range.

In order to achieve those crazy high 5G speeds, you need really, really high frequency spectrum. The millimeter wave range falls between 24 gigahertz and 100 gigahertz.

The problem with super-high frequency spectrum, besides the short range, is it's pretty finicky -- a leaf blows the wrong way and you get interference. Forget about obstacles like walls. Companies like Verizon are working on using software and broadcasting tricks to get around these problems and ensure or stable connection.

Sub-6GHz: Given how troublesome really high-band spectrum can be (see "Mm wave" section), there's a movement to embrace spectrum at a much lower frequency, or anything lower than 6 gigahertz. The additional benefit is carriers can use spectrum they already own to get going on 5G networks. T-Mobile, for instance, has a swath of 600 mhz spectrum is plans to use to power its 5G deployment. Prior to sub-6Ghz, that would've been impossible.

That's why you're seeing more carriers embrace lower frequency spectrum.

But lower frequency spectrum has the opposite problem: while it reaches great distance, it doesn't have the same speed and capacity as millimeter wave spectrum.

The ideal down the line will be for carriers to use a blend of the two.

Latency: You'll hear this word mentioned A LOT. Latency is the response time between when you click on a link or start streaming a video on your phone, sending the request up to the network, and when the network responds and gives you your website or starts playing your video.

It doesn't seem like much, but that lag time can last around 20 milliseconds. With 5G, that responsiveness, or latency, gets reduced to 1 millisecond, or about the time it takes for a flash in a normal camera to finish.

That responsiveness is critical for things like streaming a live sports game in virtual reality or for a surgeon in New York to control a pair robotic arms performing a procedure in San Francisco.

Gigabit LTE: You're hearing more about Gigabit LTE as a precursor to 5G. Ultimately it's about much higher speeds on the existing LTE network. But the work going towards building a Gigabit LTE network provides the foundation for 5G.

For more on Gigabit LTE, read our explainer here.

MIMO: An acronym for multiple input, multiple output. Basically, it's the idea of shoving more antennas into our phones and on cellular towers. And you can always have more antennas. They feed into the faster Gigabit LTE network, companies are deploying what's known as 4x4 MIMO, in which four antennas are installed in a phone.

Carrier Aggregation: Wireless carriers can take different bands of radio frequencies and bind them together so phones like the Samsung Galaxy S8 can pick and choose the speediest and less congested one available. Think of it as a three-lane highway so cars can weave in and out depending on which has less traffic.

QAM: This is a term that's so highly technical, I don't even bother to explain the nuance. For instance, it stands for quadrature amplitude modulation. See? Don't even worry about it.

What you need to know is it allows traffic to move quickly in a different way than carrier aggregation or MIMO. Remember that highway analogy? Well, with 256 QAM, you'll have big tractor trailers carrying data instead of tiny cars. MIMO, carrier aggregation and QAM are already going into 4G networks, but play an important role in 5G too.

Beam forming: This is a way to direct 5G signals in specific direction, potentially giving you your own specific connection. Verizon has been using beam forming to for millimeter wave spectrum, getting around obstructions like walls or trees.

Unlicensed spectrum: Cellular networks all rely on what's known as licensed spectrum, which they own and purchased from the government.

But the move to 5G comes with the recognition that there just isn't enough spectrum for anyone when it comes to maintaining wide coverage. So the carriers are moving to unlicensed spectrum, similar to the kind of free airwaves that our Wi-Fi networks ride on.

Network slicing: This is the ability to carve out individual slivers of spectrum to offer specific devices the kind of connection they need. For instance, the same cellular tower can offer a lower power, slower connection to a sensor for a connected water meter in your home, while at the same time offer a faster, lower latency connection to a self-driving car that's navigating in real time.

source:CNet

Light is back with a new twist on its anti-smartphone phone. But this time, instead of doing just one thing, the Light Phone 2 does a few, and exists somewhere between the original Light and your overwrought iPhone – though still far closer to the first-generation Light phone overall.

The new design features a matte finish e-ink display, which occupies most fo the front face of the device and can show text, act as a virtual keyboard for sending messages, show your contacts and alarms and more. The phone uses Light’s own proprietary operating system, which is heavy on the text and limited on the total number of options and features, and you use physical keys on the side of the phone to navigate through menu options.

The Light Phone 2 has 4G LTE connectivity and, since it’s not yet finalized but is instead kicking off its Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign, could add features including directions, ride-sharing specific apps, playlists, weather reports, and voice commands according to the company’s founders, on top of the basic call, messaging, contact book, alarm and auto-reply features that are definitely going in. Whether those other add-on features make the cut will depend in some part on backer feedback.

But with those potential additions, plus the larger, device-commanding active display, the Light Phone 2 is starting to sound a lot more smartphone-y and a lot less “Just a phone.” But LIght’s creators say that it’s definitely not, under any circumstances, going to add social media, advertising, email or news features to the phone.

Really, those are the things that truly turn our mobile companions into huge time sucks and mood altering devices. Light Phone 2 is definitely more of a compromise than a purist dumbphone like the original, but it still also sounds like it fits the company’s chosen tagline of being “a phone for humans” better than your average flagship smartphone does today.

Light’s been out of stock of its current generation device for a while now, which was probably because it was looking forward to this launch. The phone’s Indiegogo campaign has $225 as the early bird price for the device, with $400 as the target retail cost, and estimated shipping is April of next year (yes, over a year away) so the company also seems to have learned a lesson or two about manufacturing and shipping hardware, and is giving itself ample buffer for this redesign.

Nokia is relaunching its ‘Matrix’ slider phone and other high-concept simple phones like the Punkt MP01 are out there trying to wean people away from their smartphone habits. It’s an appealing dream, but it’s hard to tell if it’s just a brief hiccup due to information ennui, or a real movement in the early offing. How Light Phone 2’s campaign does overall might be another indicator as to which it ends up being.

source:TechCrunch

Verizon is taking an extra step to protect its phones.

The nation's largest wireless carrier said Monday that it would begin locking the phones it sells to consumers, which will prevent them from using a SIM card from another carrier. Initially, the phones will be unlocked as soon as a customer signs up and activates the service. But later in the spring, the company will begin the practice of keeping the phone locked for a period of time after the purchase -- in line with the rest of the industry.

Verizon said it's doing this to deter criminals from stealing phones, often on route to retail stores or from the stores themselves. Unlocked phones make attractive targets because they can be resold on the black market or used overseas with different carriers. That's particularly the case for iPhones, which are a top target for thieves because of their high resale value.

Watch this:Verizon redefines unlimited by adding limits

"We're taking steps to combat this theft and reduce fraud," Tami Erwin, executive vice president of wireless operations for Verizon, said in a statement. "These steps will make our phones exponentially less desirable to criminals."

For consumers, there's little immediate impact because the phone gets unlocked immediately through a software update. But the policy change in the spring could be a hassle for customers who buy a new phone and then go overseas. One way of saving on international roaming fees is to buy a SIM card from a local carrier. If you have a locked phone, you'll need to contact Verizon to unlock the device before switching out your SIM card -- assuming the carrier will make the exception.

The move marks a broad reversal of its policy to offer all of its phones unlocked -- part of a deal with the Federal Communications Commission requiring it to unlock phones as part of its acquisition of the "C block" of 700 megahertz spectrum, which powers its 4G LTE network. One section of the deal specifically prohibits Verizon from configuring handsets to prevent them from working on other networks.

Avi Greengart, an analyst at Global Data, said the policy change appears to contradict the existing rules.

Verizon, however, argues it's still following the intent of the rule.

"This change does not impact the spirit of that agreement as it is designed to deter theft by those who engage in identity theft or other fraud," said a spokeswoman for Verizon. "It is not inconsistent with our obligations under the C Block."

Verizon declined to say whether it has contacted the FCC about the change, and the agency couldn't be reached for comment.

The move may also be a way for Verizon to protect itself from competition, with the locked phones making it tougher to switch.

"This is going to make it harder for rivals to poach subscribers from Verizon," Greengart said, noting that customers who might be looking to bring their own phone to rivals like Comcast's Xfinity Mobile's service may be deterred from switching.

Verizon wouldn't say how long the locked period will be once the policy change is made in the spring, adding only that it'll provide an update ahead of when it rolls out the policy. It also declined to provide a specific timeline. The wait period is in place to deter scammers from signing up for service using stolen identities to get a new phone and immediately turning around and selling the device.

AT&T requires you to pay off your phone and be active on your service for at least 60 days. Even then, there's a 14-day wait after you make your request. Sprint also requires that you have paid off your phone and wait 50 days, though the phone is automatically unlocked. T-Mobile has the same paid device requirement and a 40-day wait period, but will offer to temporarily unlock the device sooner for travel.

Even after the change, Verizon will continue to unlock the phone regardless of whether it's paid off. The company will also still accept unlocked phones from other carriers.

The policy change also brings back the issue of smartphone theft. The CTIA wireless trade group, wireless carriers and phone makers banded together to add antitheft tools to phones in 2015. A study conducted by fraud and theft data provider Recipero in 2016 found that 5 percent of devices offered for sale or trade-in at retail were reported lost or stolen, while 4 percent of warranty claims were made on lost or stolen phones. Data from from cities like New York and Washington, however, suggest the overall trend of theft is on the decline.

First published Feb. 12, 5 a.m. PT.
Update, 9:20 a.m. PT: To include a new response from Verizon. Update, 10:35 a.m. PT: To include a comment from an analyst.

source:CNet

The hype is starting to give way to reality as the wireless industry irons out the kinks in the new wireless technology. What better place to do it than a trade show in Barcelona?

5G will bring higher speeds to our phones than ever before, and it's ready and raring to go…

Well, almost.

The advent of 5G, the next generation of cellular technology, comes loaded with promises. It will enable smart cities, wireless streaming video in virtual reality, driverless cars and a huge leap in speed and reliability. The good news is we've seen demos proving it works.

But here's the bad news: We won't see the first 5G device until later this year -- and it'll likely come in the form of a wireless hotspot "puck." Phones aren't showing up until early next year at the earliest. So why should you care about 5G now?

Before 5G gets out into the wild, carriers, governments, infrastucture manufacturers, chip makers and organizations designed to bring them all together need to do some negotiating about when and how they are going to make it happen. Mobile World Congress, happening next week in Barcelona, is where many of these conversations will take place. It's not sexy, but it's necessary.

"The dull stuff is engineers in labs, testing, testing, testing, finding something that doesn't work, fixing it," said Ben Timmons, senior director of marketing and business development for Qualcomm in Europe.

Not that people won't be shouting from the rooftops about 5G. In fact, we expect it to be on the lips of most of the attendees. "Last year's MWC was a 5G hype-fest, CES last month was a 5G hypeapolooza and 5G hype at this year's MWC will be even bigger," T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray said in an email.

But the real opportunity of the show is a chance to see what the next generation of networks and phones will be capable of. Think integrated augmented and virtual-reality applications that work without wires, or low-power sensors that can run for years on a single battery charge. Ben Wood, an analyst for CCS Insight, predicts that there could be announcements from Google and its partners about its ARCore platform, its 3D-sensing camera technology. Sophisticated areas like ARCore and VR tax not only our phones, but also the networks, something that 5G will solve.

Last year at MWC, Qualcomm, Intel, Huawei and other industry leaders got together and agreed to accelerate efforts to create the first network standard, which they formalized in December. At CES in January, Qualcomm CEO Stephen Mollenkopf said 5G will be the biggest thing since electricity.

This year, Ray expects the conversation to be geared around deciding what 5G services will look like in the future, which will mean "more than just speed," encompassing talks around spectrum and applications for the internet of things. He's looking forward to having "a grown-up conversation about what 5G needs and the best path to get to real, mobile, standards based, nationwide 5G," he said.

Key players from the US and Asia are likely to have substantive plans to discuss, said Ian Fogg, senior director for mobile and telecoms at IHS Markits. Korea and Japan are at the forefront of rolling out 5G, while Verizon is testing 5G as a broadband replacement service this year. The others are all vowing to have mobile 5G networks up shortly after.

Meanwhile, Europe has to play catch-up after taking a more cautious approach.

"Despite the EU's lofty ambitions for the region to be among the 5G pace setters, most providers remain focussed on making the most of their significant investments in 4G/LTE," said CCS Insight analyst Kester Mann. "I'd say Western Europe is probably one to two years adrift of trailblazing markets like the US and South Korea."

Perhaps a meeting or two in Barcelona will jumpstart their ambitions.

source:CNet

Rates start as low as 9 loonies per hour.

General Motors' car sharing service, Maven, is set to expand across the northern US border for the first time.

Maven will continue its North American takeover by heading to Toronto, Canada's largest city. It isn't just dipping its toes in the water, either -- at launch, Maven will offer 40 vehicles across GM's vast portfolio, including several models of Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac.

Car ownership is growing increasingly optional, especially in cities that have both car sharing options and stout public transport options. Maven

Grabbing a car with Maven is as easy as opening up the app, applying for a free membership and securing a vehicle. There's no membership fee, so you only pay for using the car, which will start at CAD$9 (about USD$7) per hour. Maven selected a wide variety of parking locations across Toronto based on where it expects its users to hang out -- Toronto natives can expect to see Maven cars in Bloor West Village, The Entertainment District, Ryerson University, Financial District and several other spots.

Since it has the backing of a major auto manufacturer, all the cars available through Maven are brand spanking new, and thus come equipped with all sorts of tech, like a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotpost, Apple CarPlay and satellite radio. Maven's portfolio of products doesn't end with car sharing. The company also runs Maven Gig, which allows users to rent a Chevrolet Bolt EV by the week for gig-economy jobs like Uber or GrubHub. This one's only available in certain US locations for now, but if it passes regulatory muster, it wouldn't be a surprise if it expanded to other places where Maven has a foothold -- and a supply of Bolt EVs.

Chevy Bolt brings big EV convenience in a small package

source:CNet Roadshow