Verizon is moving forward with plans to bring 5G to classrooms.
The company’s Verizon Innovative Learning educational organization is planning to launch a 5G EdTech Challenge on Tuesday, according to Axios, which confirmed the news with Verizon. The program will award 10 of the best projects with $100,000 in funding.
According to Axios, the challenge will aim at identifying the best ways for schools to bring 5G into middle schools that have fewer resources. The company specifically wants to see projects that can improve the educational experience in those schools while relying on 5G technology.
All four major U.S. carriers—Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile—are investing heavily in 5G. The technology promises much faster speed than today’s 4G LTE technology. Latency is also reduced, so devices can communicate with each other far more quickly. The technology is widely viewed as integral to the future of self-driving cars and the continued growth of the Internet of Things.
According to the Axios report, Verizon’s program will award the $100,000 to students by the third quarter of 2019. A variety of industry leaders and experts will evaluate the proposals. In addition to the cash, the project winners will get 5G nodes and expert training to bring their concepts to life.
