Here is a layman’s guide to 5G, helping you get your head around what it is, how it works and why it’s so cool.
5G is the latest wireless broadband technology that is slated to take over the present 4G. Though we are in the middle of the 4G revolution, 5G is not far away. In fact, some manufactures have already begun incorporating some elements of the coming standard’s specifications into their products; although 5G is will not be launched before 2020. Even after launch, it was identified that Britain would need to step up to secure 5G tech development.
4G LTE-A is slated to provide a staggering speed of 1 Gbps and that is a lot. 5G is supposed to be much faster than 4G and provide a speed closer to 10 Gbps and that speed will not drop where ever you go, no matter how many users are logged into the network.
If you’d like to go back a step, it may be useful to find out ‘What is 4G?‘ then jump back here and learn more about 5G.
The main feature of 5G is not its superior speed. 1 Gbps provided by 4G is already a decent speed considering the fact that we still do not have fixed line broadband connections with that speed. The main advantage of 5G over 4G will be its low latency. That means with a 5G connection, the server will be more responsive and you will be able to stream live data with no perceivable delay.
The present 4G technology has a delay of about 40ms and 60ms, which cannot be used for multiplayer games. With 5G the latency will be closer to 1 ms, enabling you to live stream 4K and 8K videos and play multiplayer games with real time responses. 5G will also utilise a higher radio frequency band,
Another advantage of 5G will be its bandwidth allocation. Since by 2030, each person will be carrying a handful of smart devices that require internet connection, it will obviously put a strain on the access points. That is why; 5G will allocate bandwidth according to the data requirement of each device.
With the ‘Internet of Things’ becoming a reality, the strain on the access points needs to be alleviated and 5G is the ultimate answer. Through 5G technology, you’ll be able to use a mobile phone worldwide without any noticeable difference.
Your 5G phone in the UK, for example, will work on the exact same system and spectrum band as in the US, South Korea and wherever else. 5G will be more software driven, enabling it to be more flexible than its predecessors. Since softwares can be updated, there will be no need for upgrading to 6G once we have the necessary infrastructures in place.
We’re really happy that EE announced the launch of 5G in Brighton.