NOTE TO VIEWERS: In Chicago, Verizon download speeds reached a maximum above one gigabit per second, and median speeds in South Korea exceeded those in the U.S. The video above incorrectly says Chicago speeds maxed out above one gigabyte per second, and represents the median speeds in megabytes instead of megabits.

In the global race for 5G, U.S. telecom firms have a unique disadvantage: limited access to the “goldilocks” band of radio frequencies. That's pushing U.S. firms toward a less practical version of 5G. WSJ explains the science and its implications.

Illustration by Carlos Waters / The Wall Street Journal

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