As it rolls out across the globe, 5G is likely to improve on 4G in a number of ways. It will send and receive far more data than 4G, and it will be able to support greater numbers of users without getting bogged down. If you’ve ever been to a large gathering or public spaces where your data speeds get exasperatingly slow, you know exactly what we’re talking about.
5G is way more energy than 4G
Depending on the apps you use, it may use less power than 4G, so your battery life should (hopefully) improve. That means you’ll spend less time scrambling to find a phone charger every day. Service providers, on the other hand, will wring their hands over the fact that 5G base stations devour way more energy than 4G, perhaps twice as much or even more! meaning they’ll have to invest plenty to keep the lights on.
And 5G should integrate seamlessly with the “Internet of Things”, the multitude of wireless devices and systems are rapidly expanding thanks to smart-cheap sensors and, of course, nearly ubiquitous wireless networks. That includes everything from autonomous cars, to drones, to smart doors.
Those are just the biggies. There are a lot of other potential improvements that 5G might bring to the wireless table.
In the U.S., 4G is still the reigning king of cellphone communications standards. But providers are now rolling out long-anticipated 5G infrastructure across America and around the world. With 5G, end users like you should see crazy fast data transfer speeds that allow for all sorts of amazing smartphone utilities to leverage.
What Does 5 “G” mean?
5G is the fifth generation (thus, the “G”) of mobile wireless integrations, a way for devices, both mobile and stationary, to send and receive data without being plugged into a wall in your home or at the office. Typically, a new generation is named (sometimes retroactively) when it denotes a significant leap in wireless mobile technologies. 5G might enable driverless cars, delivery drones, and may even replace the WiFi in your home and office.
You can buy a 5G phone right now if you want, but you may want to hold off. Keep in mind that 5G isn’t yet available everywhere – in fact, it’s still pretty rare around the world. As of January 2020, just 30 U.S. cities had substantial 5G coverage. That includes, of course, major metro areas like Los Angeles and New York City, among others. Other countries, like South Korea and China, actually got the jump on 5G and have more draconian infrastructures in place now because of it – there are roughly 90 and 60 cities in those countries, respectively, sporting this high-speed technology.
10,000 Mbps in UTP cables
In these high-tech countries, engineers are building a network that is – in select places, anyway – able to provide download speeds of about 10,000 Mbps (megabits per second).
Various tests show that in cities around the nation, 5G is already hitting speeds that are 10 times faster than 4G. With those kinds of blazing speeds will come even more complex and powerful smartphone apps, among many other leveraging points.
Remember when it took 15 seconds to download a 5MB MP3 file via a 3G connection? With 5G, you may be able to download an entire movie in just moments.
Whether you’re an early adopter or slow to adopt new technologies, there’s no arguing that mobile communications are transforming modern life, and it’s likely that 5G brings even more changes. Keep reading and you’ll find out what 5G is and how it might change your health.
