You’ve probably heard about it in commercials or seen it in headlines. 5G, or 5th generation mobile, is the next big leap in wireless communications. But much of the discussion about the new technology has been focused on its engineering features, infrastructure requirements and public policy considerations. With technical buzzwords like “network slicing,” “beamforming,” and “multi-access edge computing,” it may be hard to really understand what 5G is all about and why we should care. We’re breaking it down for you
Here, then, is a brief explanation of how 5G will be used and what it will mean for your online experience — and your everyday life.
These few lines sum it up
5G, which will supplement rather than replace today’s 4G networks, will radically improve the bandwidth, capacity and reliability of mobile broadband, much more than in previous generational shifts. How? In part by packing thousands of small antennae onto cell towers, utility poles and buildings, 5G will push mobile speeds from 100 Mbps to upward of 10 Gbps, a huge increase that will make next-generation wireless competitive with even the fastest fiber-optic wired networks.
The benefits to come for the average Cameroonian?
The real excitement over 5G comes with new uses that simply aren’t possible with today’s networks. Many of these involve the revolution in sensors, low-cost transmitters and cloud-based software known as the Internet of Things (IoT), or “connected” or “smart” devices.
Right now, IoT products include stand-alone devices such as fitness monitors, smart thermostats, programmable door locks and lightbulbs, connected appliances, and other gadgets. But as billions more things go online over the next several years, they will be using 5G networks to send and receive massive amounts of new data.
Uses for that information will scale up from the personal to the global — connecting you, your home and your community.
At the human level, for example, 5G will be used for connecting smart clothing, prosthetic devices and even ingestible health monitors. Consider start-up Veristride, which has been working since 2012 on smart shoe technology. That might sound silly, but not to the millions of Americans with temporary or permanent mobility issues, for whom constant feedback from onboard sensors could help teach them to walk again after a stroke or surgery.
At home, 5G networks will move beyond the cliche of refrigerators that automatically reorder milk to fully integrated living spaces that adjust to the needs of every member of the family, providing home security, optimizing power and water usage, and personalizing entertainment. Smart homes will be much more energy-efficient. But more important for an aging population, 5G networks will help seniors to age in place, monitoring their medications, connecting them to telehealth services and tracking indicators from sleep to insulin levels.
Rural users will benefit as well, as 5G enables smart agriculture, communicating with sensors in the ground, in crops, and on livestock and farm machinery. Along with weather satellites and drones, these technologies will help farmers know when and how much to water, fertilize and apply pesticides in more effective and environmentally friendly ways. Smart farming may also drive the case for deploying 5G networks to rural areas more rapidly, closing what remains of the digital divide as a happy side effect.
In cities and across national borders, finally, 5G’s ultralow transmission delay (or “latency”) will be crucial for autonomous vehicles, smart energy grids and connected infrastructure. These will not only improve the quality of government and utility services but also enhance public safety, health and sustainability. Already, smart-city technology in such places as Barcelona, Singapore and Columbus, Ohio, is being used for instant crime reporting, smart streetlights, and sensors that monitor things like air quality, parking spaces and garbage collection. The potentials are huge. We’ll keep you updated!
When is the 5G release date?
It’s still early days for 5G, but Ofcom thinks that you’ll be able to buy a 5G phone in 2020. Obviously any 5G release date is just an estimate, and other experts are predicting it may be 2021. Even technology-obsessed South Korea isn’t likely to see any 5G trials until 2017, and Verizon and AT&T are expected to start rolling out 5G networks in 2018 in the US.