Networks have evolved from the very early days of 1G. In the early days of communication networks, only voice communication was possible. This took place in the form of audio conversations that you had on the very early mobile phones. With several improvements, it became possible to send text messages on the newer generations of the networks.
The texts improved audio communication and would see many ideas and business concepts getting built around text communications. Financial services like M-Pesa were built around text messaging and have been serving nations up to this day. However, the use of text messaging was limited as it was unable to send pictures or multimedia messages.
This is why 3G networks were introduced to enable people to access the internet and even send each other images. These networks could also send multimedia messages, and you could easily send your friends audio recordings.
Additionally, growth in the use of social media and uptake of the internet led to the improvement of the network. 3G was gradually replaced by 4G and 4G LTE networks. These networks are capable of massive file transfers and reasonably good speeds. You can easily hold a video conference on 4G networks or upload files to your online servers.
The 4G services also had better encoding for the files, and the clarity of the signal was much better. As a result, it was possible to hold clear meetings over the networks right from your mobile devices. The possibilities of what you can do with 4G networks are almost endless, and nothing has been achieved with the 4G networks.
5G network is the fifth generation network that aims to be better than all its predecessors. 5G network delivers higher peak speeds as well as low latency for their networks. There is more excellent reliability while using the 5G network as the network capacity provided is significantly greater than anything you had ever experienced.
Users can receive a consistent experience on 5G, which makes it ideal for smart cities and other institutions that need to offer its members the best connectivity and communication experience.
Who is Responsible for the Invention of 5G?
There is no single individual or company that can claim to be solely responsible for 5G. However, 3GPP has been able to define global specifications for the network and is the same committee working on the other generations of networks.
There are many companies and industry players interested in 5G and have been invested in making it a success. They have been working on accelerating the development and adoption of the network as it is much faster and offers more outstanding capabilities than earlier generations of networks.
Governments, ISPs, and other major giants have also been working to see that 5G is implemented and released to the wild. Many companies are vested in pushing the network and implementing it in their products and services due to the advanced capabilities of the network.
Technology Underlying 5G
5G networks are based on OFDM. This is Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, a method that is designed to provide networks with a wider bandwidth by using refined techniques to multiplexing the network signal. In simpler terms, multiplexing takes the signals from several parties and puts them on the same channel to ease the process of moving the data between two points.
The data moves as a single package all the way and only gets separated when it comes out at the other end. A signal from China can be multiplexed and passed over the fiber under the Indian Ocean to Mombasa, Kenya. At the port, the signal gets de-multiplexed and separated into the logic destination networks requesting the data.
Multiple carriers can be used to pass the same data when using OFDM, and this means that ISPs can merge their resources to improve their overall throughput and the data rates they offer to their customers. If you have been enjoying live streaming on 4G LTE, you will even enjoy the possible speeds with 5G.
In addition to multimedia streaming, you can enjoy a lot more with 5G as the low latency means that the responsiveness of cloud and web applications is improved. Even when you are dealing with a multimedia application, you will get responses promptly, and this means that the interaction with data on the new network will be more realistic.
There will be fewer delays and jitters on the new network, which will also mean that applications will improve performance. Streaming games will no longer be an issue for gamers, and in-game features and capabilities such as augmented reality and extreme reality will be significantly enhanced.
The bandwidth technologies used for 5G ensure that you get the widest bandwidth possible with your network. An improved bandwidth will also mean that your download speeds will be much greater than what you have been used to.
Eventually, we will be capable of 10 gigabits per second of speeds on the 5G network. In dense urban environments or highly populated areas such as stadiums, plans are to deploy the millimeter waves. As you would expect in the other cellular networks, a device that is moving away from one cell to another gets handed off to the closest cell.
As such, you can be on a video call while you are still driving from one point to another and not get your call interrupted. For every square kilometer, the 5G network can support up to a million devices which are ten times what 4G is currently capable of supporting.
The enhanced capabilities of 5G communication are now getting applied in Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications(URLLC), and Massive Machine Type Communications(mMTC).
How 5G is Better than 4G
eMBB makes use of 5G to move away from 4G LTE broadband and offers the following advantages:
- Faster connections: connecting to the internet takes much less than you would experience with 4G LTE networks. You no longer have to wait for a web page to load as the connection is instant and fast. The use of the internet will also be increased, and loading images and videos will also take less time. The use of 5G means that the connections and the communications will be much faster, and getting a connection will also take less time.
- Greater capacity: As you have seen, 5G networks can support more devices in the same area than 4G networks. The capacity of the 5G networks is increased, and the number of devices that can be connected over the network increases. This is in preparation for the next generation of the internet and the internet of things. Communications between devices, people, and even vehicles will be much easier and more efficient using the 5G networks. Areas with higher traffic like concert venues, cities, and stadiums will also benefit from the new generation of the network that will comfortably handle all the communication requirements of everyone. Even when everyone is on a video call, the higher throughput of 5G networks facilitates communication with much ease.
- Unified Platform: Using 5G technology, one will easily connect to all kinds of networks. The internet of things and the other networks and infrastructure that require robust communication will benefit from the capabilities that 5G brings.
- Better Spectrum: 5G network uses an array of radio frequency bands and covers the most incredible range.
- Lower Air Latency: In 5G, the air latency is between 8 and 12 milliseconds. This means that the communication has improved, but it will take years to reduce this delay to somewhere between 1 and 4 milliseconds as this is only currently possible in a lab setting.
- Lower Error rate: 5G makes use of an adaptive signal coding system that is meant to keep the error rate low. Any higher error rate causes the transmitter to switch to a different coding mechanism. It becomes easier to reduce the error rate on the network, and the clarity of the communication is improved as a result.
5G network is expected to be used to private networks to use in smart industrial systems and the internet of things. More than 224 operators in 88 countries are currently testing 5G technology with trial runs in many countries. In 2019, South Korea became the first country to implement 5G on a large scale, and it is predicted that 65% of the world population will have access to the 5G network by 2025.
5G networks are expected to contribute about $13.1 trillion to the global economy when it has been implemented across the globe. The improvement in communication will make it easier for companies and industries to improve their overall efficiency and throughput, leading to better business.
The economy will be significantly boosted by using 5G technology which is also expected to create about 22.8 million new jobs across the globe. The latest jobs present diverse opportunities for the people that are already in various institutions of learning.
How 5G Will Affect you
As a user of the 5th generation networks, you will experience a better internet usage experience. The networks have improvements over the current generation of networks that are way better than what you currently have. If you tend to notice blurring of the videos whenever you are on a video call, it is most likely because of the network that you are currently on.
However, the introduction of 5G will ensure that you have faster download speeds. These download speeds are essential whenever you need to get something done in a hurry. For instance, downloading updates on your devices will take less time, and as such, you will be able to keep all your devices safe and secure.
Getting security patches in the background will also have been made a lot faster and easier when using 5G technology.
Additionally, the fast download speeds mean that you will download bigger files on these networks. If you need to take a movie with you on a long journey, the download will only take a few minutes, and you will get to enjoy great content on your devices. The low latency that is associated with 5G networks will also accord you better responsiveness with applications.
You no longer have to wait long for the web applications that you are currently interacting with to respond. The moment you have touched on an element of the user interface, you will quickly get a response back in about no time. The low latency is also being improved, and network providers are heavily invested in making the latency as low as possible.
The use of 5G networks also means that you will have access to greater network capacity. Even when you are in a crowded place, the clarity of the signal will still be excellent, and there will be no lags or slowdowns with the network.
Getting to access cloud services over 5G networks will also be made much easier, and as you turn to the use of the cloud for your daily computational needs, the use of 5G will ensure that your access to the 5G networks is not limited in any way.
Uploading your files and backing up your information will take less time, and this will guarantee the security and integrity of all the information you are working with. For instance, if you are out on the field doing research, the use of 5G networks means that you will submit the results while you are still on the field, which will make your work much more manageable.
Timely submission of such statistics is essential when the research is sensitive. Taking part in costly experiments will also be much easier with 5G networks as the uploads and downloads will be relatively fast, and there will be no waits to get the data and programs you need for the undertaking.
If you are a gaming fan, you will be pleased to learn that 5G technology will significantly enhance multiplayer cloud gaming. The multiplayer cloud gaming keeps all gamers in sync with one another, and they can take part in competitions over the network.
The gaming industry is expected to grow with the introduction of 5G networks, as the higher speeds mean that you will experience more immersive gaming experiences powered by cloud computing. Whenever you are shopping on the internet, augmented reality means that you will get to view the products as if they were physically close to you.
Shopping that is assisted by augmented reality is very effortless and one way to make digital life more efficient for the people who use devices. Shopping remotely will be made much more accessible, and one will no longer have to worry about not getting to see what they intend to buy before making a purchase.
The use of augmented reality also means that the users of the devices will get to see the items that are about to purchase and take a closer look from all angles. This is very effective for tremendous value to the buyer, and the shopping experience will be significantly enhanced with the use of this new technology.
In addition, working remotely will be highly enhanced by the introduction of 5G networks, and video translations in real-time will be an everyday thing. Video collaboration will also be made much more accessible. Anyone who needs to work with other team members remotely will be able to do this with the assistance of 5G networks.
The use of 5G technology will improve the experience of working from home, and remote jobs will become more and more popular. As such, the need for office space will be significantly reduced, and it will become less expensive to keep businesses and organizations in operation.
5G will have a massive impact on the kind of digital lives that you will lead and the kind of experience you will get from the internet. The faster speeds will ensure that you are always accessible. Even when you are watching a live match in a stadium, the use of the 5G network will ensure that you do not miss out on any important calls and video conversations.
Streaming games on the cloud while still living and getting comments in real-time will be made possible by these new networks.
Application Areas of 5G
Mobile broadband will have more outstanding capabilities with the introduction of 5G networks. The new networks will have faster speeds, greater bandwidth, and lower latency. This will make them ideal for all types of communication, and getting in touch with friends and families will take on more forms than simple audio phone calls.
Video calls will be clearer, and there will be less drop of packets on the new network. This will also make it easier to make video calls over the 5G networks as there will be nothing interrupting the signals or cutting them off due to the capabilities of the new spectrum.
Better bandwidth means that your carrier will be giving you more affordable internet, giving you access to a greater number of features and capabilities. The use of the internet will also grow as more and more network service providers adopt 5G to ensure that their customers get the best download and upload speeds possible.
Mission-critical communication is another application area of 5G technology. The new networks will be in every vehicle that is moving on the road and the internet of things. Other 5G modems are being made for IoT devices, and this means that most of the 50 billion IoT devices will be connected by the 5G network. Driving on the roads will be safer and more coordinated with 5G technology, and emergency responses will also be made much easier.
Additionally, early warning systems will be more accurate, reducing the likelihood of accidents on our roads. In addition to safer and more efficient routes, using 5G technology to network our hospitals will make remote medical procedures more effective. The use of the network will enable doctors to carry out complex life-saving medical operations over the new network.
The capabilities of 5G will make it possible to control complex equipment and get a clear stream of the patient as they undergo the procedure in real-time. More lives will be saved thanks to the use of the new 5G networks as there will be greater clarity of data streams, and getting to a scene of the accident, for instance, will be faster with the use of drones that are connected to 5G networks.
There will also be a massive adoption of 5G technology for IoT devices. The internet of things is expected to grow exponentially, and it will require more accurate and effective networks to get devices communicating with one another more easily. With the advancement of the internet of things, there will be a greater level of interconnection between all the various devices and systems controlling the internet of things.
The use of 5G will enable the devices to sync with one another and pass live streams of data with much ease. This is a huge leap in technology, and there are many places where IoT will be used to enhance processes and operations.
Consumers Use of 5G
For the consumer of the 5G networks, there will be the capability of boundless extreme reality, which will immerse them into realities that they have never been able to experience in the past. The consumers will be able to interface with data in more interesting ways, such as creating realistic 3D projections of the data and observing it on a plane that was not considered possible in the past.
Extreme reality is made up of virtual reality and immersive technologies such as augmented reality. They make it possible for you to enjoy wildlife, sports, and entertainment that has been overlain on your real environment. Through your camera, you will be able to interact virtually with famous sports personalities and athletes doing their practices and workouts in your backyard.
You will also be able to go on virtual tours of wildlife reserves and interact with the wild animals from the comfort and convenience of your mobile device. Holding 3D meetings will also be another possibility of the new 5G networks, and this will keep us in touch with our friends and family members.
We will be able to converse with them as if they are physically present where we are, and we will see them more realistically. This will be a huge advancement over the video calls we can carry out on the current networks. With the possibilities that are made real by 5G, we will have more realistic communications that will also be more immersive.
5G will allow us to enjoy better conversations and more friendly and practical interactions with others. The network’s capabilities will also make it possible to enjoy games and other scientific experiences more realistically, making entertainment improve by another notch.
The improvements introduced to the new generation of networks will also mean that consumers can have better experiences on the networks. For instance, if you happen to have a lot of devices on your home network, the use of 5G will enable you to keep all of them connected and synced to each other.
IoT will also be on an increased uptake rate with the new 5G network making it possible and much easier to keep all the different devices connected and coordinated with one another. Anyone that has a smart farm in their apartment, for instance, will get to enjoy better returns from their small farm with the use of the internet of things to keep track of each little figure of the farm.
The internet of things will also allow people to take part in better and more productive projects as the components for setting up various systems will also have become cheaper. Getting a set of sensors to make your home more aware of itself will be much more affordable, and when you have the sensors, the 5G network will fill in the rest and ensure that you have a more manageable and balanced life at your home.
New enterprise applications will run faster and more efficiently on the new 5G network. Businesses will be able to take advantage of the new network to provide better services to their consumers. The introduction of 5G means that the businesses will not be limited in terms of the features and capabilities they can offer to their customers.
Local interactive content will also be easier to present and consume, which will boost the entertainment industry. Instant access to the cloud will also make the cloud more useful, and consuming cloud-based content will be much easier. The use of cloud computing is also expected to increase with the introduction of 5G networks.
Business Uses of 5G
Faster access to information will make it easier for businesses to offer their customers the best class of services. The use of 5G will also make it much easier for smart factories to coordinate their activities. The smart factories will be able to monitor all the components of the production plant, which also means that the factories will improve their throughput.
The use of the 5G network will ensure that all the components of the plants will be able to easily coordinate themselves and communicate with the other devices on the plant. This will make it easier to control the quality of the production process, and the factories will get to manufacture the best quality of products.
The business will be more effective and efficient using 5G technology as making deliveries, and meeting demand will be made much easier. Greater responsiveness for the firms brought by the lower latency of the new network will also result in a better user experience.
Whenever they are shopping, they will locate items and products much faster, making them more likely to purchase on business websites. 5G will enable businesses to be in their top form at all times as the faster communication will keep them more organized and these activities better coordinated.
As companies look forward to using the new network, they are also invested in adopting the cloud to scale up their operations. With the new 5G networks, they will be able to render their services to more people. They will easily reach a greater number of people and offer them high-quality services with no delays or interruptions.
The customers will be able to do shopping more easily on the business websites, and the web applications will be more responsive. Finding items and products to buy on the web applications will use the fast connection to enable the user to find the things they are looking for.
Businesses will be able to greatly improve their services, which means that the customers will enjoy improved service delivery due to the use of 5G networks. Companies will offer better, data-driven experiences to all their customers using the high capacity and reliability of 5G networks.
Shopping will be easier, safer, and faster with introducing the new 5G network that will keep businesses and customers in close connection. Companies will also handle a greater number of customers when they can process their needs and transactions on a faster and more reliable network.
Cities Use of 5G
For smart cities and the ordinary cities that we currently live and work in, the introduction of 5G will be a crucial communication patch. The use of 5G will ensure that we can stay better connected. With 5G, the connectivity between people and things will be made much easier and even faster.
Passing data between people and devices in the city will be a lot easier, and there will rarely be any delays. The use of a stable and high-performance infrastructure to handle various aspects of running the cities will also make them easier to manage.
As opposed to cities of old, the modern cities will be able to sustain themselves for much longer using the new 5G networks. These networks will ensure that there are instant responses to any incident that takes place. The city’s running will also be greatly automated, which means that the cities will be easier to handle and control.
Keeping the cities secure and monitoring all the activities through robots and drones connected to the 5G network will be a lot easier. The expenses involved in sustaining the modern city will be greatly reduced. The people will also live more comfortable and ordered lives in the cities when they have a network that keeps them connected.
Secure cities will be an even greater possibility with the number of devices and cameras connected to security systems increasing. Greater bandwidth and lower latency of the new networks means that reacting to incidences in time will be made a possibility, and the users of the networks will be able to record the crime in greater detail.
Catching criminals and tracing them down to where they have escaped will also be much easier with the greater connectivity within the city. This will result in safer cities that are ideal for working and living in. Higher data speeds are what modern cities deserve as people are always very creative and always productive.
The city dwellers will be able to stream live events and even lead better digital lives by introducing the new 5G networks. The speeds introduced by the new 5G networks will enable the city dwellers to get much more done, and as such, they will be able to lead more vibrant lives on the internet.
The lower latency of the 5G networks also presents many new benefits for the people who live in the cities. The instance, the response time of most of the systems that are running in the city will be reduced, and it will be easier to stop most of the incidences that are caused by slow systems.
For instance, automotive safety will be greatly enhanced by using 5G networks to keep all control and coordination systems for vehicles and traffic lights in sync with one another. The use of 5G will ensure that vehicles can stop in time, and redirecting and routing traffic through the city will be much easier.
As a result, the cities will be able to process more vehicles in a day without many stops and snarl-ups in the middle of the city. The cities will also be more productive as trade will thrive with the people moving in and out without much congestion.
The use of 5G technology will make it very easy to react to events in time. The use of networked drones will ensure that accidents in the city are handled in a matter of minutes to get rid of the traffic buildup and keep everything running safely. Not to worry, a network of cameras will already have recorded the entire incident.
It will be much easier to piece together the events leading up to the accident to investigate the event later on. In the meantime, drones over the area will ensure that the accident is cleared out of the way and the people can proceed with their usual activities.
The number of crime incidents in the cities will also be reduced using 5G, increasing response time for most of the activities that we can do. The faster response will also deter the criminals as they get caught much faster, and the arrest rate will be much greater. This will lead to safer, cleaner, and more efficient cities that can provide the best urban life for their citizens.
Critical infrastructure will also stay connected to the 5G network, and this will make important services required to keep a city running easily accessible. Such services will not be out of reach for any reason, and this means that the people will get the service they deserve in as little time as possible.
Making a report of an incident or something odd such as broken lights in the city, will immediately alert the maintenance department to respond in time and ensure that the city is back in working order. The people living in the city will also be more richly connected, and there will be more information to work with to keep all these lives separate and unique from one another.
Virtual reality and the advertisements that keep the city interesting will also be made more effective and realistic using 5G networks. The faster networks and interconnection of devices will make it easier to show relevant advertisements to the people in a certain street, for instance, which will mean that people will have better-informed lives in the city.
Entertainment is another aspect that is not forgotten, and it will be even more realistic. All those virtual fights we have been theorizing about taking place in the city will be replaced by high definition races that people will be able to place from the comfort of the subway trains as they get back home after a long day at work.
Conclusion
5G has been maintained by the team responsible for the 3rd generation network for the longest time. It has been supported by other industry players and holds greater promise for the future of communication. It makes it easier to pass information, stream live data, and reduce latency, making future applications more realistic.
The new generation of wireless networks and broadband connectivity will be capable of faster speeds and better connections. The clarity of communications will be greatly improved and bring more possibilities to the future of entertainment.
The use of 5G is already being adopted worldwide, and very soon, you will be capable of broadband speeds that are almost close to what you get with cable internet. The new networks are also capable of greater bandwidth which means that downloads no longer have to be a problem.
The capabilities of the new generation of the network open up a world of new possibilities for the people and companies taking them up. Early adoption has also seen great success. However, you will need to get a new device capable of 5G connectivity for you to make use of the new generation of network.
Manufacturing is also expected to improve with the introduction of the new networks, which are also known to be a huge factor in the effectiveness of the Internet of Things. The over 50 billion devices on the internet of things will use 5G communication, making life much easier for every one of us.
