5G

Everyone has a smart phone, and with that comes instant access to anything you can think of. Uber can pick you up from anywhere at any time, you can stream any song thanks to Spotify, and you can watch a movie anywhere with Netflix. All of that information is transferred from a cell tower to your phone. With 5G that information will more complex, and get to your phone faster then ever before.

What is the difference between 5G and 4G LTE? For starters download speeds are 100 times faster. Currently if you were in a 4G LTE environment you could download a 2 Hour HD Movie in about 10 minutes. 5G can download the same movie in less than 30 seconds. The reason for this is the frequency 5G uses. 5G Uses Super High Frequency Airwaves, or High Band Spectrum, and that allows for more data to be transmitted faster.

The other big deal is going to be higher capacity rates on sections of a network. Say you’re at a concert and you want to upload a picture to Instagram. You’re going to have a ton of slowdown due to the amount of people in a small area, even if you have a full signal. 5G has a higher bandwidth which allows more people on a network at a time. So, your concert videos and pictures will upload instantly. But there are a few small issues with 5G as well.

The main drawback of 5G is the High Band Spectrum can’t travel as far as a 4G signal. To combat this 5G networks need small cell sites placed near each other. The cell sites are the size of a pizza box and can be placed on top of buildings, billboards, and even street lights. They don’t take up a ton of room, but this is the main reason that 5G has been rolling out as slowly as it has been.

5G has been coincidentally rolling out across the country starting with major cities, and then out towards the surrounding areas. It will be a couple years when the whole country has 5G access. And we look forward to new technical advancements that will come with it.