By now, we all heard about the 5th generation of the mobile network. Some say it’s bad, some support it. But let’s not discuss it for now. Let’s focus on how fast the next generation of the mobile network is going to be. While the 4G already provides more than enough speed for almost anything we can do online, how further enhancement is going to benefit us? Is it really necessary to increase the speeds further? We are not talking about the slow speeds you are getting due to a bad mobile operator or in specific regions, but the actual 4G speeds which is said to be around 100Mbps on average.
The actual speed of 5G
According to Qualcomm, 5G can transfer data at up to 20 Gbps. Compared to the 4G that provides a maximum of around 100Mbps transfer rates on average, the number is astonishing. Can you imaging downloading a Full HD movie even before the browser can display the download progress? Or a 4K movie with a size of around 100GB in less than 30 seconds? Whether or not you can afford such data is a subject for another discussion. But if you can, that’s how fast the 5G network is going to be.
You should keep in mind that, not everyone is going to get such speeds. As we already know, the speed of the internet depends on several factors including the area you are living in, the restrictions set by the mobile operator, etc. We are just discussing the capability of 5G networks at its core.
Some recent speed tests from users reported up to 1Gbps speeds on 5G services available to the consumers. So, as a consumer, you should not expect the speeds we just mentioned above. As we already mentioned, it is what the 5G technology is capable of. Not what the telecom providers will deliver, or the governments allow them to.
5G vs previous generations
Started from the 1G (the first generation) of mobile networks by delivering analog voice. We have come a long way. 2G introduced the digital voice, 3G was a big step for the mobile data, and 4G enhanced it further and let us enjoy the mobile network as it is today. How does 5G compare to previous generations of mobile networks? What changes it could bring apart from pure speed?
Well. It could impact almost every single area you can ever imagine. It could enhance the transportation system by delivering stable, faster communication, enhance healthcare, improve agriculture, and whatever depends on the mobile technology will see huge improvements in productivity. Speed saves time, time decides productivity, and that is one of the core goals of technology.
Apart from that, according to studies, the 5G technology will have a more capable air interface delivering signals that are so powerful with significantly low latency. Making things super-responsive than it already is. 5G will be able to be used for several things that 4G wasn’t capable of. Several sources even say that the newest mobile network generation could handle up to a million devices per square kilometer. That is a lot.