It’s all over the news – you pick up a magazine or a newspaper (virtually, of course) and it stares at you like a child wanting candy…the coming of 5G technology!

What is 5G and What Does it Mean for You?

As the next generation of mobile technology, 5G (fifth generation), will be succeeding the current 4G/LTE technology.

It’s forecasted that by 2021, the connections via 5G will reach a figure between 20 million and 100 million.  And, depending on whom you listen to, some estimates place the figure at 200 million.  The infrastructure for 5G mobile is estimated to be over $2 billion U.S. dollars.

WOWZA, that’s a bunch of figures…so, let’s break it down to what it all means to you.

• Download speeds 10 to 20 times faster than you have now.

• However, you might not notice the higher speeds at first due to the network operators’ usage to boost capacities of the current 4G/LTE networks – all to ensure consistency for their customers.

• Current 4G mobile networks offer about 45Mbps (megabits per second) on average.  The industry though is hopeful of getting us to 1Gbps (gigabit per second = 1,000Mbps).

Do We Need 5G?

Yes, the current bands are getting congested (think of rush hour traffic in a busy city) and in today’s business and personal world, the advent of technology devices like equipment sensors, video camera, etc., we are going to need more lanes to move traffic.

A Few More Questions

We knew you were asking yourself, but were afraid to say it out loud…”will I need a new phone?”  Industry sources say it’s likely.  New next generation phones compatible with 5G will likely be introduced to switch seamlessly between the 4G and 5G networks providing stability.

A common complaint is the lack of signal and low data speeds in rural areas.  Unfortunately, 5G won’t truly address this issue.  5G will primarily be an urban service in the more populated areas.

For longer distances, the lower-frequency bands will be better; therefore the network operators will concentrate on 4G/LTE coverage improvement as the 5G rolls out.

For some in the most remote areas, the patchiness of their connectivity could be incentivized with government subsidies for network operators.

Fixed Line Services?

No end there.  The telecom companies have too much invested to give those up.  The office and domestic broadband services are likely to be fixed for many years to come.

So the next time you hear someone mention 5G, you can chime in confidently with your knowledge – thanks to Cactus Technology Solutions.