5G connectivity is coming, which is good news for anyone who's ever wanted to stream multiple things in 4K while sitting in a treehouse. All the major mobile companies are currently jockeying for position as to who gets to post "First!" in the comments section, and AT&T just put the stakes up.
AT&T spent $1.25 billion to acquire Straight Path Communications, a company that holds significant wireless spectrum that could be used for 5G. AT&T made the deal using all stock, meaning it hasn't had to deplete cash reserves, but don't let that fool you: this is a significant investment in wireless technology for the company.
The spectrum Straight Path holds is millimeter wave-band, which is widely viewed as being critical for delivering gigabit speeds for 5G. For the wireless carriers, 5G opens up the potential to replace cable companies as the major supplier of home internet. While digging up streets to install fiber lines is expensive, time-consuming, and lends itself to regional monopolies, using wireless connections to get internet to the home has major promise.
Google has reportedly already begun testing wireless transmission in place of its Google Fiber home internet service, and it's definitely on everyone's mind. 5G would undoubtedly be a big upgrade over 4G for wireless devices, and that's where the initial focus will be. But if carriers can build out networks that are big and stable enough, it's a lot more than just wireless plans that will be on the line.
As gas-only vehicles gradually give up some of their kingdom to electric and hybrid cars, it's only a matter of time before service vehicles get in on the action, too. We've already seen green alternatives to gas-guzzling semi trucks and cargo vans, but police pursuit vehicles are a specialized case that just hasn't been able to go hybrid — that is, until now. And who better to help the LAPD go green than the company responsible for some of the most popular police cars of all time, Ford.
Ford, makers of the most iconic cop car of all time, the Crown Victoria, just showed off its very first "pursuit-rated" hybrid car, which is joining the LAPD's fleet of service vehicles. The car, which has been rather haphazardly named the Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan, is a step above the Ford Fusion upon which it is based thanks to upgrades to the suspension, tires, interior, and suspension.
The car gets its get-up-and-go from a 2.0-liter four cylinder gas engine pared with an electric motor and 1.4-kilowatt rechargeable battery. It can reach 60 mph from a stand still in just 5.8 seconds, which is the same or better than many other production car police variants, including the Crown Victoria. However, due to its hybrid powertrain, it'll get much, much better gas mileage, which the EPA estimates at around 38 miles per gallon, or about twice the fuel efficiency as the current law enforcement workhorse.
The Responder isn't a one-off commitment for the LAPD, though, as the department has pledged to purchase 300 of Ford's hybrid and electric plug-in vehicles by 2020.
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