We all love fast internet, and this is the reason ISPs around the world are making our connection even faster. With the increased use of mobile devices and new smart devices popping up, we are going to need more bandwidth to meet our daily internet needs and this is where a new type of wireless signal comes in and that’s 5G.
This wireless technology is similar to 3G and 4G and is made to keep up with the high numbers of devices that need an internet connection. Such devices include mobile phones, wearables, door locks, home appliances, cars, dog collars, security cameras and many more internet-enabled devices. By 2020, it estimated that 20.8 billion devices will be connected to the internet.
All About 5G
The “G” in “5G” refers to generation. As you can expect, the first wireless phone technology was 1G launched in the early 1990s, along came 2G that made text messaging possible. 3G combined calls, messages, and browsing on a mobile phone.
Companies then added LTE “long-term evolution,” to 4G technology, improving consistency and speed to go toe-to-toe with WiMax.
5G will take full advantage of the foundation laid by 4G LTE. It will greatly improve the speed of browsing the internet and make it easy to download and upload Ultra HD and 3D video. It will also handle the influx of internet-enabled gadgets that are expected to enter the market.
How Fast Is 5G Compared to 4G?
With 4G LTE, the most speed you can get is about 1 gigabit per second. This means that it takes about an hour to download a short HD film in the best conditions. The issue is, people rarely hit this top speed because the 4G signal can be disrupted by microwaves, Wi-Fi signals, buildings and many more factors.
With 5G, the speed will be increased to 10 gigabits per second. This means that you can download a full HD movie in seconds. It will also cut latency (improve load times).
How Does 5G Work?
Standards for 5G technology are already being created but according to experts, it will be backward compatible with 3G and 4G. It will also have some interoperability across the world.
In their basic form, mobile devices are simply two-way radios. When you make a call to someone, your voice is converted into an electrical signal. The electrical signal is transmitted to the nearest cell tower using radio waves. The cell tower then bounces the radio wave through a network of cell towers and eventually to the person you’re making the call to. The same applies when sending other forms of data, video, and photos across a network.
A 5G device will have a higher radio frequency. For example, the 4G occupies bands up to 20 MHz – 5G will occupy the frequency band up to 6GHz. The new wireless technologies take up higher frequencies because they are not in use and move data faster. The only downside is that higher frequencies don’t travel as far as lower frequencies, so multiple input and output antennas will be needed to boost the signals.
When will 5G be Available?
Some areas are already testing 5G but it will be widely available until 2020.