What Benefits Can I Expect from 5G? (Connectivity, Speeds, and More)
There’s been a lot of buzz about the 5th generation of wireless connectivity (aka 5G) for a few years now, but many people still wonder how it’s actually going to change how they connect through cellular networks.
Rollouts of upgrades to wireless connectivity take years because companies have to lay wire and install systems city by city to support the new standard.
So, while you can currently buy 5G enabled smartphones and 5G wireless networks are technically available now in certain cities, the technology has yet to create those amazing, sweeping changes that it’s been promising.
This is due to two main factors:
- The rollout of 5G by mobile carriers is still in progress. As of December 2019, Verizon has 5G connectivity in 31 cities and AT&T has it live in 10 cities.
- Makers of technology that would take advantage of 5G are still in the process of developing their own 5G tools and most likely will roll those out once there is wider availability.
Although you may not yet be able to download a large movie file in seconds, 5G is coming and it does promise a significant change to our online mobile network experience.
Advantages Coming with 5G Networks
Those who are old enough to remember, can instantly recognize that dial-up modem sound that used to accompany any type of connection to the internet back in the late 1990’s. Files of even a few megabytes took forever to download and you often got disconnected if a phone call came in.
Twenty years later, the speeds that we now expect are light years ahead of where we were then. We can easily stream movies in HD, which was unheard of just a decade or two ago. 5G speed and capacity promise to soon move us another huge leap ahead from where we are now.
Here are some of the benefits you can expect coming your way in the next 1-3 years as 5G completes its rollout and tech manufacturers introduce new technologies that take advantage of it.
Lightning-Fast Speed
It’s hard to imagine being even ten times faster than our connections are now, but 5G is expected to bring speeds that are 100X faster than 4G networks.
This will completely change the experience for everything from cloud computing to smart home automationwith the instant exchange of huge amounts of data, and downloads of large files taking mere seconds.
Next to Zero Latency
If you’ve ever played an online video game and missed a jump because the game took a split second too long to register your input, you’ve been a victim of latency disruption.
Latency (also known as lag time) is the time it takes data to be sent and received. Higher latency leads to buffering and applications “sticking” for a few seconds before they register your click. Lower latency means better connections with less lag time.
Currently 4G networks have an average latency of 50ms (milliseconds). 5G networks are expected to be in the 1-10ms range, greatly reducing (nearly to zero) any lag time experienced when connecting to the internet.
More Capacity
It’s common to be in a crowded city and have connectivity issues because too many mobile devices are connecting to the same 4G network, slowing everyone down.
5G improves both speed and capacity by employing more of the frequency spectrum than 4G does. 5G connectivity is divided into low-band, mid-band, and millimeter waves to offer “virtually unlimited” capacity along with a high-quality of service.
Changes You’ll See Happening with 5G
Once the 5G rollout is completed and more people have the expanded capacity of this wireless network, here are some of the changes you’ll see happening over the next few years.
Wireless Broadband More Widely Available
Wireless high-speed broadband is an internet connection for a home or business that uses capacity on cell towers to operate, rather than cable, DSL or satellite. Currently this is being offered specifically in rural and remote areas that have limited or no access to high-speed broadband any other way.
But with the fast speeds and higher capacity of 5G, look for high-speed wireless broadband to be an option in the suburbs and cities too, competing with typical ISP options.
Explosion of IoT Devices
The Internet of Things (IoT) has already seen the addition of millions of smart gadgets to homes, like voice-activated speakers and smart doorbell cameras.
With a 5G network that can support wireless connectivity anywhere, look for IoT device manufacturers to take advantage of that and offer IoT for your car or RV or a gadget you can keep in your suitcase while traveling. The range is about to become just about limitless as far as being connected all the time.
More Remote-Controlled Activities
The nearly zero latency of 5G will enable more remote operations that require precision, where a controller can be thousands of miles from the device they’re operating.
This includes things like remote surgeries or precision equipment in manufacturing being operated by a technician in a different city or country. It will also help boost the adoption of autonomous vehicles of all types that rely on fast connections to cloud systems.
How Can You Take Advantage of 5G for Your Home or Business Network?
Now’s the time to take a look at how 5G could benefit your network so you’ll be ahead of the curve. Quantum PC can help you explore the possibilities and be fully ready to hop onboard 5G as soon as you can.
Contact us for a free consultation today. Call 920-256-1214 or reach us online.
