The technology allows wireless communication, such as from your cell phone to a tower, which then channels it to the internet. 5G is a network service provided by telecommunications companies and is not the same as the 5GHz band on your Wi-Fi router.
5G has a magnitude (10x) greater bandwidth than 4G. The 5G network has a greater bandwidth because it uses higher frequency waves to encode and transport information.
The width of a highway is measured in terms of its bandwidth. The highway’s width determines how many lanes it can have and how many cars it can hold. 5G is faster and can handle more devices.
5G speeds can reach up to 50 megabits per sec and even more than 1 gigabit every second. A gigabit per sec connection can download a high-definition movie in under a minute. Does this mean there will be no more poor connections to mobile networks in areas with high traffic? While the bandwidth increase will be beneficial, it is not always a solution to traffic jams. More people use the expanded highways, so 5G is more likely to have a lot of traffic than 4G networks. You might still need a reliable connection at times.
As part of the Internet of Things revolution, 5G will connect your phone and any cellular-enabled laptop to your smartphone. Even though 5G can handle a million devices per square mile, it is possible that all that bandwidth will be used up quickly and may require additional bandwidth. A future 5.5G could have even more bandwidth.
Flavors of 5G
5G can use low, middle, and high band frequencies. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Although lower-frequency waves travel further, they are slower. Higher frequency waves allow information to travel farther but can only reach a limited range of distances. The 5G frequency can reach gigabits per second speeds, making ethernet and other wired connections obsolete. However, 5G at higher frequencies comes with a higher price and is therefore deployed only in areas where it is most needed, such as stadiums, convention centers, and airports.
Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication is a type of 5G service that can be used when data must be transmitted without interruption or loss. This could be used to control drones in disaster zones. Once the technology has become more robust, it could one day be used for remote surgical procedures.