5G smartphone search

5G is the fifth generation of mobile communication technology. It is the successor to 4G (LTE Advanced), 3G (UMTS, LTE) and 2G (GSM). 5G should reach theoretical speeds of 20 Gbit per second but in practice this will be lower. In addition to a higher speed, there is a lower latency. Because transmitter and receiver do not have to wait as long for each other, new possibilities arise, including real-time applications.

Applications 5G

In addition to even faster internet via our mobile phone, 5G will achieve even more. It will be the basis of Internet of Things (IoT) where each device has a connection to the Internet. Self-propelled cars will also be bathed at 5G because of their low latency. This allows such cars to exchange information with each other much more quickly, which is necessary in view of the relatively high speeds. Online gaming will also be one of the possibilities.

5G in the United Kingdom

As with 4G, the rollout of 5G will depend on the availability of 5G telephones. A chicken-egg problem because who wants a 5G phone if there are no 5G networks. Curently there are places in the UK were 5G is available, mainly in big cities but also some larger towns. It is expected that by march of 2020 every large telecom operator in the UK has some sort of 5G plan.

After a 5G network is available, it will not immediately be necessary to purchase a 5G phone. Also your 'old' mobile can handle it because 4G and 3G are still supported for some time. Anyone who wants to use 5G in the meantime and doesn't want to buy a 5G phone can always purchase a MiFi router. This is a kind of mobile router that can receive and send 5G signals. Your current equipment can then connect to the MiFi via WiFi. These devices were also popular for some time around the introduction of 3G and 4G.

5G phones

Manufacturers only started announcing 5G telephones in 2019. This was on the one hand because the 5G standard had not yet crystallised, but also because 5G modems were not ready for a long time. Meanwhile, Qualcomm the Snapdragon X50 5G Modem and Huawei the Balong-5000 chip announced. Telephone manufacturers will eventually use these in telephones to build 5G telephones. In the meantime, the first commercial 5G telephones have already been announced and are rolling out. Because 5G is not yet available nation wide 5G phones will be sparse up until 2021.

Sub6 and mmWave

Like 3G and 4G, 5G uses radio waves of a certain frequency. In general, the lower the frequency, the slower the data transfer and the greater the range. Compare it with noise from the neighbour's stereo system. That's where you hear the bass tones more often. They pass through buildings easier than high-pitched tones. The same principle works with the frequencies 5G uses. Anything below the 6 GHz limit is called Sub6 and is basically intended for better coverage over a large area but offers a limited speed gain over 4G. Above the 6 GHz limit is also called mmWave or millimeter wave and promises much higher speeds of even 2 Gbit/s.

It is obvious that telecom providers will start offering Sub6 5G. Because a nationwide network can be achieved by placing fewer towers.