5G Wireless: Building the Next Generation | 5G Fiber Framework | Corning

July 2017

Imagine data zooming to and from your device 100 times faster than it can today, making the dreaded spinning buffering wheel a woe of the past.

The ever-developing telecom industry is trending in an exciting new direction – 5G. 5G will deliver fiber-like speeds over a wireless connection.

“Wireless is not that wireless,” said Clark Kinlin, executive vice president, Corning Incorporated. He added, an advanced fiber framework must be in place before progress in 5G can be made.

Corning plays a leading role in this transformation. From large datacenters to the connections to your home, Corning enables the fiber network infrastructure. This means Corning’s fiber dictates the coverage and capacity of the networks that you’re probably utilizing right now.

With near-ubiquitous internet use and the insatiable demand for bandwidth, the current 4G network can’t handle all of the capacity. 5G allows consumers to exchange data faster than the blink of an eye, said Verizon’s chief executive officer, Lowell McAdam.

Increasing online video consumption and the Internet of Things are driving demand for 5G. Self-driving cars, virtual reality, and a barrage of other “smart” devices require large amounts of bandwidth. However, in order to continue this forward momentum of technological advancements, a network must be in place to meet its demands.

McAdam explained Verizon can’t achieve 5G performance without fiber.

The key to building a 5G-ready network is to bring the fiber as close to the end user as possible. The more fiber links pointing to the end user, the more speed and bandwidth they’re able to tap into.

In April, Verizon agreed to purchase a minimum of $1 billion of Corning’s optical solutions over the next three years, as Verizon reinvents its network to support 5G and new services.

Corning will supply Verizon with up to 20 million kilometers of optical fiber annually.

“We are pleased that Verizon recognizes the value of Corning's innovative solutions in deploying next-generation converged optical infrastructure, such as One Fiber, more quickly and cost effectively,” Kinlin said at the Verizon announcement. “Verizon's purchase commitment supports necessary capacity investments across our manufacturing footprint."

Weeks added, “Our focus in leadership also attracts some of the world's leading companies to collaborate with Corning because they see how our expertise and unique combination of capabilities can help them address some of their toughest challenges.”

Millions of miles of fiber have already been deployed, and this momentum is only expected to continue.

Weeks said, “Stepping back, all of our customers have the opportunity to benefit from our unique set of capabilities in Optical Communications. We are engaged in deep dialogue with major telecom players across the globe as they anticipate transformations in communications, education, healthcare, transportation, and ultimately the way that we all live. Corning's Optical Communications market-access platform is central to realizing their vision because of our ability to economically expand capacity and deliver innovative solutions.”