5G on Mobile Phones and Internet
5G technology is considered one of the major breakthroughs of this century. The concept of 5G technology has been around for a long time but now it has finally become the reality. We are finally seeing the major mobile networks coming with the 5G support and we are also seeing many 5G smartphones in the market. Despite its importance, many people don’t know much about it. If you are one of those people then don’t worry because, in this guide, you will learn everything you need to know about 5G Technology. Let’s get into it.
What is 5G?
As the name “5G” indicates, 5G is the fifth generation of telecom networks which will bring massive improvement in speed and call quality. The majority of the smartphones these days come with the 3G, 4G, and 4G LTE standards and 5G is set to replace these standards and it will allow you to download your favorite content within second with its gigabit speed.
How 5G does Work?
Unlike its predecessors, 5G operates on three various spectrum bands which may not seem a big change but in reality, it has a great impact on the performance. Let us explain.
Low-Band Spectrum
Low-Band Spectrum is also known as the “Sub-1GHz spectrum”. It is mainly used by US-based carriers for their LTE network. The advantage of this spectrum is that it offers great coverage area and good wall penetration but its peak data speed is only around 100 Mbps.
One of the major carriers which use this spectrum is T-Mobile which won the 500 MHz spectrum in the auction of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2017. The company then used it to develop its 5G network nationwide.
Mid-Band Spectrum
Mid-Band Spectrum is much faster than the Low-Band Spectrum and it also has very low latency compared to the Low-Band Spectrum. The Peak Data speed on the Mid-Band spectrum is around 1 Gbps.
In the US, Sprint uses the mid-band spectrum and the company uses the Massive MIMO (Multiple-input & multiple-output) method to improve the penetration and coverage area on the mid-band. The company has installed the massive MIMO groups of multiple antennas onto a single box and single-cell tower which creates the various powerful beams to different users in the area. The company is also planning on using Beamforming technology to strengthen its 5G service on the mid-band spectrum.
High-band Spectrum
High-band Spectrum is the level that offers the best possible performance for the 5G network. It is also known as mmWave and it has a peak data speed of 10 GBps which is massive. The only downside of this spectrum is that it has very low coverage are and building penetration is also poor. According to our research, the range of high-band spectrum is only limited to about 800-foot from the tower and its power also get affected if there are building between the receptor and the tower.
In the US, the major carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile & Verizon are rolling out their versions of the 5G. The major challenge for these networks will be to develop the infrastructure to support the 5G network. To overcome this challenge, these carries will rely on small cells which are basically low-power base stations that will cover the small areas and they will work with beamforming technology to strengthen the coverage of 5G.
What are the Benefits of 5G?
5G is considered as the technology for the next decade and we will start seeing the true applications of 5G in 2021 and 2022. These are some of the benefits of 5G.
• Video streaming is the major issue these days and we face the buffering issue even when we stream the video in 1080p. With 5G, we will be able to stream the 5K movies with no buffering.
• 5G will allow us to do the video chat in High-Definition without any lag.
• If you are into gaming then you would have noticed the increasing size of the games. With 5G technology, you will be able to use the online platforms such as Google Stadia to play your favorite games at great setting without installing them on your computer. All you will need a 5G network and you will be able to enjoy your favorite games.
• 5G network comes with 10 GBps data peak point and with that, you will be able to download anything within seconds.
• 5G network will not only power our smartphones but it will use for Autonomous vehicles and use the IoT based devices as well.
• 5G will also improve the broadband capability and it will still offer great speed even with a huge load.
Which 5G Phones are coming out?
Many smartphone companies have also started rolling out their 5G capable smartphones which you will need to enjoy the 5G speeds. The following 5G Smartphones are currently available out there.
• Galaxy Note 10+ 5G by Samsung
• Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
• LG V60 ThinQ 5G UW
• LG V50 ThinQ 5G
• OnePlus 7 Pro 5G
• OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLearn
• Moto Mod for Moto Z2 Force, Z3 & Z4.
• Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G
• Samsung Galaxy A90 5G
• Huawei Mate X
• Oppo Reno 5G
• ZTE Nubia X 5G
• ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G
Where is 5G Now?
All 4 major carriers in the US are currently working on their 5G networks and they are testing their 5G Networks in various cities.
• AT&T currently working on both Low-band Spectrum as well as High-band Spectrum. The company has its low-band 5G in 16 cities and High-band 5G is 12 cities around the US.
• Sprint is currently testing its mid-band 5G network in 9 metro areas in the US. The Sprint now covers more than 16 million people with its 5G network.
• T-Mobile is currently testing its high-band 5G in more than 6 cities in the US. T-Mobile 5G now covers more than 200 million people in the US.
• Verizon is now testing its high-band 5G in more than 31 cities in the US.
What’s next for 5G?
5G Technology is still relatively new and there is a lot of work that needs to be done. As major carriers are testing with their 5G technologies, the next challenge for them will be to scale it and overcome the coverage issues. 2019 was a great year for 5G but the work which will be done in 2020 will have a meaningful impact on the masses. Let us know your thoughts on 5G in the comment section below. Also, visit our website for more useful guides.
