5G has arrived and promises to bring revolutionary changes to the internet connection. So what are 5G internet connections? How does it work? And are you ready for it?
What are 5G internet connections?
5G is the 5th generation network. It is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. 5G networks is a new kind of computer networking solution with high performance and efficiency improvements.
Although there are methods to reduce the impact of slower latencies, these methods are only temporary solutions. This is where 5G could potentially change the way we use the Internet connection and interact with each other. While larger bandwidths and bigger computer networking capacities are nice, the biggest game-changer that 5G is bringing to the table is sub 1ms latency. This is achieved by using edge computing and by shortening the radio transmission’s transport block. Edge computing operates on the idea of bringing data to the edges of the Cloud so that the digital distance between the user and the data is shorter.
Meanwhile, shortening a radio transmission’s transport block will allow for faster data transfers. Currently, 4G LTE’s transport blocks have a minimum length of 1ms to be fully received. This means that the receiver must wait 1ms for the transport block to be completely received. However, 5G’s transport blocks can reach a minimum length of just 0.03125ms, greatly reducing the time it takes to receive data.
This will open up new possibilities and industries that have been held back by previous internet connection technology. Self-driving cars, augmented reality, mobile gaming, robotic surgery, remote healthcare, and robotic factories are just some of the fields that are expected to have drastic changes and improvements with high performance once the 5G internet connection is accessible.
The Future of 5G
5G has arrived and it is here to stay for a long time. Many telecommunications providers and computer networking companies are already providing 5G internet connection service but only in select areas and cities as they have yet to finish building their 5G networks. They are, however, expecting to have their 5G networks completed or nearly completed by the end of 2022. But this doesn’t mean that we will be seeing millimeter waves when the wireless networks are completed as most companies are focused on providing sub-6 coverage first. However, we may be in for a surprise thanks to South Korea as they are well ahead of the rest of the world and plan to roll out millimeter-wave internet connection networks before the end of 2020. If their millimeter-wave wireless networks perform well, we may begin seeing them in other areas sooner rather than later.
The Transition Period of 4G & 5G
Even though 5G is being rolled out right now, it still needs a few more years before it will be ready to completely replace 4G networks. This means that while we wait for telecommunication companies to finish deploying their 5G networks, us customers will be caught in a limbo between 4G vs 5G. For the time being, it would be better to prepare your 4G networks to be 5G ready. Focus on products that either offer 4G vs 5G capability, are 5G ready, or are module based so that you can easily switch to 5G once it is available.
So, what are 5G internet connections? 5G is what you will need in the near future.