CNN BUSINESS | Wireless companies shelled out billions of dollars to fix this 5G problem

New York (CNN Business) – Excitement around 5G, and its promise of lightning fast download speeds and huge data capacity, has ratcheted up since the first 5G-enabled iPhone was released last fall. But the actual experience of 5G doesn’t always live up to the hype — not yet, at least.

This is partly because there’s been a lack of available infrastructure (called “spectrum”) needed to build fifth generation wireless networks that are both noticeably faster than 4G and widely accessible across broad geographic areas. That changed with the completion of the Federal Communications Commission’s latest spectrum auction last month, where carriers shelled out a collective $81 billion to get their hands on the crucial resource.  —read more