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Lately I keep getting asked many questions regarding #5G. Things like:
1. What is it and how does it work?
2. How is it different from the currently implemented technology #4G?
3. Is it Safe?
4. Is it secure?
5. When will it be available?
6. Do I need to and/or should I spend the money to upgrade my phone?
I have thus decided to write a series of small posts to share my knowledge and thoughts about this subject. Let’s first review the history of mobile communication networks which have been deployed over the past 3+ decades. The picture below depicts those technologies and their incremental capabilities starting with #1G and ending with #5G.
As can be seen, the initial #1G networks provided simple and straight forward voice and SMS communications which was followed by #2G (#GSM and #CDMA) networks which added low speed data capabilities in the range of 10-200 kbps which were mainly used for emails, small file transfers and other apps that didn’t require high speed low latency capabilities.
This was shortly followed in the early 2000’s by #3G (#WCDMA) networks which significantly improved data throughputs and capabilities ranging from 384 Kbps all the way to the most current deployments reaching 84 Mbps capabilities. With 3G networks we were able to do so much more with our smart phones and portable devices.
Of course, this didn’t stop here as the advancement in computer systems and microprocessors required that we continue to develop the mobile network infrastructure to meet the increasing capabilities and demands which brought about #4G (WiMAX & LTE) networks. One major difference in 4G networks and future mobile technologies is that everything is based on Data even voice calls are now carried over data services helping fully utilize our mobile networks and making them more robust. It also added High-speed internet capabilities ranging from 100 Mbps up to the current 1+ Gbps capabilities and low latency (Delay) in the range of 10 ms as well as additional support for massive #IoT devices.
Which brings up to the ongoing migration to #5G (New Radio) networks. This is expected to bring about further improvements and significant enhancements including Ultra-High-speed Data (10+ Gbps), Ultra HD Video as well as support for Ultra Low Latency (1-2 ms) and critical #IoT devices.
So now that we have discussed where we have been and where we are, it’s time to discuss where we are going and some of the questions surrounding the ongoing #5G worldwide network deployments.
Please check out my next post where I will dive in and attempt to answer some of these questions about #5G. Also please comment if you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts on this subject. I appreciate all feedback and will try to respond as quickly as possible.
