What is 5G?
5G is the next generation of mobile broadband that will eventually replace, or at least augment, your 4G LTE connection. With 5G, you’ll see exponentially
faster download and upload speeds. Latency, or the time it takes devices to communicate with wireless networks, will also drastically decrease.
How does 5G work?
By gsma/itu
Unlike LTE, 5G operates on three different spectrum bands. While this may not seem important, it will have a dramatic effect on your everyday use.
Low-band spectrum can also be described as sub
1GHz spectrum. It’s the primary band used by carriers for LTE, and bandwidth is nearly depleted. While low-band spectrum offers great coverage area and wall penetration, there is a big drawback: Peak data speeds will top out around
100Mbps.
Mid-band spectrum provides faster speeds and lower latency than low-band. It does, however, fail to penetrate buildings as effectively as low-band spectrum. Expect peak speeds up to
1Gbps on mid-band spectrum.
High-band spectrum is what delivers the highest performance for 5G, but with major weaknesses. It is often referred to as mmWave. High-band spectrum can offer peak speeds up to
10Gbps and has extremely low latency. The main drawback of high-band is that it has low coverage area and building penetration is poor.
What can 5G do?
Improve broadband
The shift to 5G will undoubtedly change the way we
interact with technology on a day-to-day basis, but it’s also an absolute necessity if we want to continue using mobile broadband.
Autonomous vehicles
In the future, your vehicle will
communicate with other vehicles on the road, provide information to other cars about road conditions, and offer performance information to drivers and automakers. If a car brakes quickly up ahead, yours may learn about it immediately and preemptively brake as well, preventing a collision. This kind of vehicle-to-vehicle communication could ultimately save thousands of lives.
Public safety and infrastructure
5G will allow cities and other municipalities to operate more efficiently. Utility companies will be able easily
track usage remotely, sensors can notify public works departments when drains flood or streetlights go out, and municipalities will be able to quickly and
inexpensively install surveillance cameras.
Health care
The ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) component of 5G could fundamentally change health care. Since URLLC reduces 5G latency even further than what you’ll see with enhanced mobile broadband, a world of new possibilities opens up. Expect to see improvements in
telemedicine, remote recovery, and physical therapy via AR, precision surgery, and even remote surgery in the coming years.
IoT
One of the most exciting and crucial aspects of 5G is its effect on the Internet of Things. While we currently have sensors that can
communicate with each other, they tend to require a lot of resources and are quickly depleting LTE data capacity.
Where is 5G now?
when should you expect to see 5G in your neighborhood?
Well, it depends on the neighborhood and
country you live in.
In India plans are for
2022 rollout. Might get delayed to
2023.
What 5G phones are available and should you buy one?
Although 5G will undoubtedly change the way we interact with each other and consume media, the change won’t happen overnight. It will be a few years before 5G is up and running smoothly
ultimately a personal decision, it may be wise to
hold off on buying a 5G handset in 2020, especially considering the fact that a slew of manufacturers are expected to release 5G-capable handsets this year.
Source digital trends
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/what-is-5g/