5G: How It's Different From 4G, Other Questions Answered

As India gets excited about the launch of 5G, or 5th generation mobile networks, a few questions remain about what it means for the end customer and how it would impact businesses.

Here Are Some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About 5G:

How Fast Can 5G Go? 5G vs 4G: Speed Difference

The highlight feature of 5G remains higher speed, with downloads going all the way to 10 GB (gigabyte) per second or more. This is hundreds of times faster than the current average download speed for 4G users in India, which hovers around 21 Mbps (megabits per second), according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Picture this, a 5 GB movie can be downloaded in 35 seconds by using 5G internet as against 40 minutes in 4G; 2 hours in 3G; and 2.8 days in 2G, according to Bipartisan Policy Center.

What To Expect From 5G?

The higher speeds combined with lower latency are critical to enabling new use cases like live video broadcasts in 4K quality, better and higher quality video calling, and the ability to hold real-time multimedia interactions with large groups. Lower latency is also the key to use cases like streaming content and even real-time video games, where reducing the lag between input and response is crucial.

How Will 5G Impact Industries?

The 5G rollout is also expected to bring more development in remote data monitoring and telemedicine. Lower latency, in particular, will be helpful while enabling remote surgeries and real-time monitoring of remote sensing stations.

Additionally, higher speeds will be decisive for the advancement of augmented reality applications. Wearables like smart glasses, connected over 5G, will be able to connect to cloud servers for real-time processing, instead of relying on the limited processing power onboard.

Will 5G Reduce Network Congestion?

The biggest benefit for end consumers will be better network management. The higher speed network is more efficient by nature and operates in three different bands – a 100MHz low band, 2.3GHz mid-band and the high band. The mid-band frequencies offer the best balance of coverage and speeds, which should free up more spectrum for the users. This will ensure that users have a reliable network connection even in larger crowds and stadiums.

Once the 5G rollout begins, for most users, the immediately apparent benefits will be speed and better connectivity. But the next-generation network is shaping up as the backbone of the future of computing and the real advantages will unfold over the next few years.