Everybody’s been talking about 5G technology for your phone’s network connectivity, but how does it work and how much of an improvement is it really?
5G stands for Fifth Generation; it is the fifth generation of mobile network, following the current standard which is set by 4G LTE. As it already happened with previous generations, they will initially co-exist, until 4G eventually says goodbye, leaving the stage to 5G.
5G uses radio frequency energy to transmit and receive voice and data. It is faster and has greater capacity, quite obviously. Chances are that if you’re a regular user, who simply uses his mobile network internet connection to read the news, listen to music on Spotify or even watch movies on Netflix, you haven’t really felt the need to upgrade generation of network. On the other hand, people who use their phone for work or online gaming, especially connecting their laptops through portable hotspots, might actually benefit from a connection that doesn’t pale in comparison to their office.
Apart from this, 5G will be essential to allow the enable and instantaneous connectivity of numerous devices, in accordance with the latest trends connected to the Internet of Things. It will reduce latency and make everything quicker, more efficient and more reliable.
Smart cities will never be a reality without a mobile network allowing for such ambitious goals to be achieved, connecting everything and everyone in an attempt to make life easier and a little closer to what we’ve seen in sci-fi movies over the years.
You’ll be connected to your smart house, your school, your smart office, but widespread availability isn’t expected to be around anytime before 2025 – although it will start being implemented in 2020 and 2021 already.
While we may not have felt the need for it, 5G technology is set to change our lives way more than 4G ever aspired to. The radio channel bandwidths is going to be over 50 times wider than the 4G network’s one. We’re talking about 3D streaming videos, augmented reality, self-driving cars, and much more.
If you’re not fascinated by any of this, then you’ll probably just notice your network is a little faster and smoother than usual, but if you’re a high-tech enthusiast, you’re in for a treat.
I love tech things, especially the way they infiltrate our lives without us even realising. I don’t like having to explain how a gadget works to every member of my family though!
