The invention of the telephone and subsequent developments in the field of telecommunications have changed the world forever. People are able to communicate from one end of the earth to the other within seconds. People will be able to send and receive messages, emails, photos, videos, data, etc at lightning speeds using such modern advanced technologies like the 5G.
Mobile phone technology has helped humans to evolve from a fixed-line to a comfortable carry along with devices and services that help us to connect with anyone across the globe instantly. The 3G and 4G network mobile phones have been quite popular across the globe and have increased the use of internet services.
The 5G network is the next generation of telecom network and operates at higher radio frequencies to offer much quicker internet connection speeds. The 3G internet network offered about 0.5 MB speed per second and the 4G offers practically 100MB but typically it’s about 4MB per second. But 5G technology is touted to theoretically provide up to 5000MB per second which is truly unbelievable. Hence, everybody expects the 5G technology to change our way of life and also transform existing technologies in incredible ways.
So, What is this 5G Technology all About?
It is basically the fifth generation of mobile broadband technology that is bound to replace our 4G cellular technology that most mobile devices around the world are currently operating on. 5G technology boasts of estimated mobile speeds of more than 10 gigabits per second. This is approximately 100 times faster than the current 4G speeds used widely. The latency and delay between the command and the response are expected to be less than a millisecond.
The 5G technology will literally allow a smartphone user to download feature-length HD movies within a few seconds without the need to endure buffer screen issues. It will take virtual reality to the next level and people will be able to make holographic calls just as we have seen in some of the sci-fi movies. The 5G technology will accelerate the overall development and widespread adoption of many upcoming innovations and it will play a major role in emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities and autonomous vehicle systems.
Most countries are slowly updating their systems to incorporate the next-generation wireless networks by 2020 and corporations as well as governments around the world are testing the 5G technologies on a grand scale. This technology does offer radical new possibilities that will slowly change the lives of people and create a major impact on society.
Some Interesting Facts about 5G Technology
5G is the fifth generation of mobile connectivity. It is a new generation of wireless connectivity that is being developed on the foundations of the previous one. Data transmission speeds will be boosted multiple times using this technology. Currently, the average 4G LTE transmission speed available for smartphones is around 21 Mbps.
But a 5G connection can achieve over 10 Gbps speed making it much faster and advanced. It will also allow millions of devices to be connected at the same time since the connection latency would shrink drastically. This technology will create new industries and new ways of doing work, etc. It will change our lifestyles and speed up some conventional tasks like never before.
Some Benefits of Using 5G Technology
- Increased Range
- Rapid Speed
- Less Energy Required
- Low Latency
- Ability to connect 100 times more users
- Supports autonomous driving technologies
- Boost virtual reality applications
- Make driving safer through internet-connected smart vehicle systems
- Telemedicine
- High-speed video/audio, live streaming, etc
- Will help to support smart cities ecosystem
- Will support wireless healthcare systems and remote surgical procedures
When will 5G Technology become commonly available?
According to research the 5G network started implementation in 2018 in some countries and increased to more countries by 2020. The Covid19 pandemic had slowed down the implementation of this technology across the globe. Qualcomm was one of the first companies to develop the 5G modem to support the advanced network. Many companies like Samsung, LG and MI have been working on the next generation 5G mobile phones and they are already available in the market. The European Union plans to complete 5G coverage in most of the countries in their union by the year 2025. South Korea was one of the first countries to test and implement this technology starting with its capital Seoul.
Other Impact of 5G Technology
The 5G technology will have an enormous influence on the automotive, healthcare and IoT based industries in the near future. In due course of time, it will impact many other industries.
Generation of New Revenue Streams
The 5G network technology can unlock more than 12.3 trillion dollars in revenue for a broad range of telecom industries. New businesses like autonomous taxi services will emerge. Most online businesses will change and develop better services and features to suit customers growing aspirations.
Creation of New Jobs
By the year 2035, the output from the global economy and value chain will be far superior to what it is at present. The contribution of 5G is predicted to be greater than the economies of some countries between the years 2020 and 2035. It is also predicted to support 22 million new jobs globally.
Will Drive Innovation of New Products and Services
The 5G technology has the potential to create new industries and businesses, while also impacting the existing businesses in terms of products and services. It will ensure more security and reliability of work. More investments will be made in 5G infrastructure, related applications and products too.
Telecom Companies can provide better value-added services to their customers and will also gain when customers shift from 4G to 5G since they will be paying more for the upgraded services. The media and entertainment industry will become more tech-savvy and advanced.
It will also power the education and healthcare sector into the next decade. It will enable Ecommerce platforms to provide the next-level shopping experience to their customers, making online shopping in South Africa a more delightful experience. The possibilities and scope for this technology are immense and it will only keep growing further.
Conclusion
In the current scenario, 5G is leading in the telecom industry revolution and operators around the world are already gearing up to launch new services for their customers. Most of the early testing of 5G was based on RAT (Radio Access Technology) up-gradation that uses the existing frequency spectrum. Many companies like AT&T, Verizon, Microsoft, Samsung, LG, Qualcomm, Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei etc are working on creating better systems like hardware and software to implement the 5G technology successfully around the globe.
This technology has the power to revolutionize the way we live by aiding smart cities, autonomous vehicle technology, smart industry 4.0 and the entire telecom sector. It will help companies to create new ways to manage networks and create robust systems that can save time, energy and money in the long run. The future mobile broadband will be highly efficient and cost-effective since this technology consumes lesser power but is 100 times more efficient than the existing 4G technology. Hence the overall performance, efficiency and coverage of mobile networks will be boosted like never before.