Why the coronavirus pandemic may fast-forward 5G adoption in the US https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/20/why-the-coronavirus-pandemic-may-fast-forward-5g-adoption-in-the-us.html KEY POINTS The coronavirus outbreak and the rise in remote work has advanced the need for more robust 5G technologies in the U.S. Verizon issued a press release on Wednesday stating the demands on bandwidth increased 75% over the previous week. The FCC and federal government are trying to accelerate deployment in urban and rural areas. The global pandemic has forced a supply chain slowdown that may delay further expansion of 5G. 2020 everything that could be moved online already has, from elementary schools to college classes, from entire company workforces to shareholder meetings. Whole cities have emptied under the coronavirus threat as businesses tell employees to work from home,  students are sent indoors to learn online and every type of entertainment— from restaurants and sporting venues to movie theaters — shutters, forcing people to stay home and rely on their home broadband networks to interact with the outside world. This switch-over is unprecedented, which begs the question: Can our current networks handle the strain?  Moreover, is the coronavirus outbreak and the “social distancing″ required to mitigate the spread going to become the business case for more advanced and robust 5G technologies for a future in which business, health care and human interaction must be at more than an arm’s length? The jury is still out on whether home broadband, which tends to have lower capacity than more robust business networks, will be able to handle the traffic as whole neighborhoods become Wi-Fi hotbeds as adults video conference with their co-workers and their teens stream videos in between checking Blackboard for assignments. Providers, including AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast, are facing a test of whether they’ll be able to handle the increased demand. an FCC member, said the influx of people working from home is a test for the current networks. “We’re going to have a big stress test on our networks,” she said. “There are a lot of potential points of stress. Read more in the link