• by Chase Martin , July 17, 2016

Investment dollars continue to flow toward the Internet of Things and this time from the U.S. government.

The White House just announced a $400 million push for IoT and wireless technologies that will be headed by the National Science Foundation.

The Advanced Wireless Research Initiative, set to start rolling out next year, is a combination of initiatives aiming to test and ultimately implement new 5G wireless networking and IoT technologies in the U.S.

New 5G (fifth generation) network speeds could have significant implications for marketing and advertising.

For example, the new speeds are projected to be 100 times faster than the fastest speeds on mobile devices today.

This means consumers could download full-length HD movies in less than five seconds. Advertising, with full video, could essentially become instantaneous.

The project will tap four cities to use as testing platforms to experiment with leading-edge wireless communications technologies at scale.

In addition, the FCC has just ruled in favor of opening additional frequencies of the LTE (long-term evolution) spectrum in what they refer to as a ‘monumental step’ for IoT and wireless communications.These new frequencies, which enable much faster wireless speeds, could open up new opportunities for innovation in IoT, according to FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn.

Augmented reality and virtual reality also may get a boost by becoming wireless, according to Clyburn.

This high-speed wireless will be seen across various settings, including connected and autonomous cars, malls, public transit, stadiums, schools and others, according to the White House.

Complementing the increased speed in communication is a push for increased data processing.

Intel Labs, among more than 20 companies involved in the White House project, plans to focus $6 million on creating a system to analyze the vast quantities of data in these fast networks with response times of less than one millisecond.

“Collectively, these spectrum policy and research efforts will accelerate the deployment of a new generation of wireless networks that are up to 100 times faster than today,” the White House said.

“These super-fast, ultra-low latency, high-capacity networks will enable breakthrough applications for consumers, smart cities and the Internet of Things that cannot even be imagined today.”