Verizon To Offer Inseego MiFi 5G NR Mobile Hotspot With Multi-Gig Data Speeds
As much hype as there is surrounding 5G connectivity, it will likely be several years before the faster wireless standard becomes commonplace. That day can't arrive fast enough, as far as we're concerned. The same goes for Inseego, formerly Novatel Wireless, which is working with Verizon to accelerate the roll out and adoption of 5G connectivity.
Inseego's relationship with Verizon goes back a long way. The company developed and sold a MiFi hotspot when Verizon first started deploying its 4G LTE network several years ago. Now it's doing the same thing, only with 5G—Inseego today unveiled its MiFi 5G NR mobile hotspot device at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui.
It's an appropriate place to unveil the latest MiFi device, as it's powered by Qualcomm's brand-spanking-new Snapdragon 855 processor and Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
"Inseego is separating hype from reality by bringing advanced 5G NR mobile technology to life through a live VR-enabled healthcare application in Maui, powered by patented 5G MiFi technology," said Inseego Chairman and CEO, Dan Mondor. "Exceptional speed and low latency connectivity that mission-critical use cases require are being demonstrated in a real-world scenario, running on a live Verizon 5G network. This milestone reflects the impact that 5G NR will have on everyday life. We’re thrilled to show the way forward by making 5G real and more importantly, we want to demonstrate the power of 5G that will benefit society."
The newest MiFi device is exclusive to Verizon and will be available to Verizon customers nationwide in 2019. Inseego also plans to offer its MiFi 5G NR hotspot device to customers of various global carriers next year, though the company hasn't yet announced which specific ones.
How fast are we talking about here? According to Inseego, leading up to this week, the MiFi 5G NR "consistently" hit speeds of more than 2Gbps, along with sub-10 milliseconds latency in multiple component carrier aggregation (CA), as part of a real-world trial.
Inseego's MiFi device also offers Wi-Fi performance using the Qualcomm Wi-Fi 6-ready mobile platform, the company said.
