Known simply as 5G, the next-generation wireless network has been touted as “world-changing” and a quantum leap in the evolution of communication. There’s a good reason: it will be. If you’re wondering how and why, here are 5 things 5G should make you think about.
1. Fixed Wireless, No Cables
Imagine hooking up a huge, paper-thin, 5G-compatible flat screen and just plugging in the power cable. No other cables required. You won’t need a cable box; you’ll just login to your various video accounts and start watching video.
The high speed of 5G will enable the complete disruption of the current wired cable television distribution model and will wreak havoc with content licensing agreements of every kind. Every 5G device will have the ability to display extremely emotionally satisfying, high-resolution video. Even if someone starts delivering video in 8K, 5G will present it to you perfectly – no buffering, no degradation in video quality.
5G will challenge the walled garden of cable boxes and create opportunities for new sponsorship models, new ways to reduce the price of content, and even new ways to reduce the cost of accessing the 5G network.
2. Incredible Speed
5G will offer speeds that far exceed those of 4G. Currently, 4G offers download speeds of up to 100Mbps, about five times the speed of 3G. LTE-A, an advanced version of LTE that’s compatible with most modern phones, can deliver wireless speeds of 225 to 300Mbps; it’s currently being offered by Verizon at no additional cost to Verizon customers.
By comparison, 5G promises speeds of up to 10Gbps. That’s up to 33x faster than LTE-A, up to 100x faster than traditional LTE, and up to 500x faster than 3G. To put that into context, the best commonly available wired home internet connections (through ISPs like Comcast or Verizon FiOS) usually cap out at about 1Gbps, which is somewhere between 10 and 20% of the speed of 5G.
If you want to go even deeper on the different technologies that the industry’s biggest players are using to create 5G, check out IEEE Spectrum’s terrific, in-depth primer on millimeter waves, small cells, massive MIMO, beamforming, and full duplex.
