It’s been nearly a decade in the making, but 5G is now a reality. Carriers started rolling out 5G to select cities a few years ago, and mobile 5G internet access is now relatively widely available, depending on your carrier.
Yet, it may seem as though there are more questions about 5G than there are answers. Some wonder where 5G is available, and if they’ll ever see it in their city, while others are more interested in which 5G phone they should buy. And of course, there is a debate about which carrier will have the best 5G internet service.
You have questions about the latest mobile network, we have answers. Here’s everything you need to know about 5G technology in February 2021.
What is 5G?
Before we explain how 5G works, it’s probably a good idea to explain what 5G is. There are a lot of specifics, which we talk about later in this post, but here’s a quick primer.
Simply put, 5G is the 5th generation of mobile broadband that will eventually replace, or at least augment, your 4G LTE connection. With 5G, you get exponentially faster download and upload speeds. Latency, or the time it takes devices to communicate with wireless networks, will also drastically decrease.
5G Technology explained
Now that we know what 5G is, it’s a good idea to understand how it works since it’s different from traditional 4G LTE. First, let’s talk 5G spectrum.
Just like 4G LTE, 5G technology operates on a wide range of radio spectrum allotments but is capable of running on a wider range than current networks. The most common form of 5G being used is Sub-6, and there is also mmWave.
Sub-6 refers to 5G that operates at a frequency below 6GHz. All carriers have some form of Sub-6 network, primarily because 4G LTE currently runs on these lower frequencies. For example, T-Mobile has its low-band 600MHz spectrum and its previously Sprint-owned 2.5GHz both in use for 5G.
Sub-6 spectrum is incredibly important in the rollout of 5G, because of the fact that these lower-frequency radio waves can travel long distances and penetrate walls and obstacles. That means that carriers can deploy much larger networks without having to build hundreds of cells in every city.
Then there’s mmWave (millimeter wave), which refers to the ultra-high-frequency radio waves, between 30Ghz and 300Ghz, that are used to supercharge 5G connections and deliver download speeds of multiple gigabits per second. Early on, Verizon relied exclusively on mmWave for its 5G network, though the carrier has now started deploying Sub-6 networks too. While mmWave connections can deliver superfast download speeds, the high-frequency radio waves can’t travel long distances and can’t really get through obstacles — for the most part, even a window or leaves of a tree can block the connection.
That means to make a robust mmWave network, carriers need hundreds, or thousands, of small network cells in every city. Essentially, mmWave network deployment often comes down to having to build little networks around every corner of a building. So why bother? Well, mmWave can handle an incredible amount of data, and an incredible number of users simultaneously. That makes it better for densely populated cities, as well as places like stadiums and arenas.
All of the major carriers are deploying mmWave networks, but to date, those superfast connections are limited to a few downtown areas in major cities. It’s expected that mmWave networks will get more robust, but only time will tell how long that actually takes.
How fast is 5G? A Guide to 5G Speeds
Clearly 5G is faster than 4G, but by how much? The standards for telecommunications technologies, developed by 3GPP, are somewhat complex, but here’s a general rundown of how fast 5G is:
Peak data rate: 5G will offer significantly faster data speeds. Peak data rates can hit 20Gbps downlink and 10Gbps uplink per mobile base station. Mind you, that’s not the speed you’d experience with 5G (unless you have a dedicated connection) — it’s the speed shared by all users on the cell, and even then, it’s high.
Real-world speeds: While the peak data rates for 5G sound pretty impressive, actual speeds won’t be the same. The spec calls for user download speeds of 100Mbps and upload speeds of 50Mbps.
Latency: Latency, the time it takes data to travel from one point to another, should be at 4 milliseconds in ideal circumstances, and at 1 millisecond for use cases that demand the utmost speed. Think self-driving car-collision systems.
Efficiency: Radio interfaces should be energy efficient when in use, and drop into low-energy mode when not in use. Ideally, a radio should be able to switch into a low-energy state within 10 milliseconds when no longer in use.
Spectral efficiency:Spectral efficiency is “the optimized use of spectrum or bandwidth so that the maximum amount of data can be transmitted with the fewest transmission errors.” It’s expected that 5G should have a slightly improved spectral efficiency over LTE, coming in at 30bits/Hz downlink and 15 bits/Hz uplink.
Mobility: With 5G, base stations should support movement from 0 to 310 mph. This means the base station should work across a range of antenna movements — even on a high-speed train. While it’s easily done on LTE networks, such mobility can be a challenge on new mmWave networks.
Connection density: In terms of connection density, 5G should be able to support many more connected devices than 4G LTE. The standard states 5G should be able to support 1 million connected devices per square kilometer. That’s a huge number, which takes into account the slew of devices that will power the Internet of Things (IoT).
In the real world, actual 5G speeds will vary widely. Eventually, Sub-6 networks should be able to deliver speeds of multiple hundreds of gigabits per second, but for now, connections can be anywhere from 50Mbps to 400Mbps.
Real-world mmWave speeds are a little harder to pin down, since mmWave is scarcely available in the real world. If you do happen to find yourself on a mmWave network, you may be able to achieve speeds of up to 4Gbps. That’s many times faster than the fastest 4G LTE networks, but again, those connections are sparse, and widespread availability of them is a long way off.
In many areas, 5G internet is just as slow, or sometimes slower, than 4G LTE. That’s usually due to limited spectrum availability, as carriers try to use one chunk of radio waves to support current 4G networks and new 5G networks simultaneously. Those 5G speeds should improve as more devices are moved over to 5G and carriers start to change the allocation.
Where can is 5G available now?
So, when should you expect to have a 5G infrastructure in your neighborhood? Well, if you live in a relatively populated area, at least one of the major carriers likely already offers 5G. T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have all rolled out their so-called “nationwide” networks, using Sub-6 5G.
All of the major U.S. carriers are working furiously to build out 5G networks, yet deployment across the entire country will nonetheless take several years.
It’s also worth noting that each 5G carrier has a different 5G rollout strategy. This means your 5G experience may vary greatly depending on your carrier. Here are all the details we currently have concerning each carrier’s deployment plans.
Verizon
The Verizon 5G network is smaller than the likes of AT&T and T-Mobile, due largely to the fact that Verizon spent years building out its mmWave before it started work on Sub-6 technology for 5G deployment. That also means that Verizon offers a large number of mmWave small cells — though still not enough to provide a meaningful and reliable mmWave network that’s widespread.
AT&T was in the running as the first to offer any kind of 5G in the U.S., but like Verizon, it relied heavily on mmWave in the early days — and as such its recently launched nationwide network is a little smaller than T-Mobile’s. Still, it is large enough to be considered “nationwide,” and the carrier will be expanding its AT&T 5G network over time.
It’s important to note that AT&T really wants you to think you’re always on 5G. If you don’t have a 5G-compatible phone, you may still get a little icon saying that you’re on “5GE,” but that’s not really 5G at all — it’s just AT&T’s new marketing name for 4G.
T-Mobile took a more measured approach than the other carriers, relying heavily on Sub-6 for its rollout of 5G. The result? The T-Mobile 5G network is the largest right now. The carrier has been using its existing 4G towers to also deploy 5G, so the coverage is almost identical in most areas. T-Mobile has also launched mmWave in a small number of neighborhoods in specific cities, but it’s very much still in the development stages of their 5G service.
Although 5G will undoubtedly change the way we interact with each other and consume media, the change won’t happen overnight. It will be a few years before 5G is up and running smoothly across the U.S. in a way that you should care about. Because of that, we don’t recommend buying a phone because it has 5G. Rather, if you like a phone for other reasons, and it happens to support 5G, then it will be an added bonus. Most new phones going forward will likely support 5G.
For more, check out our guide on the best 5G phones of 2021. You can also take a look at everything we know about 5G on the iPhone 12.
Can you use 5G for home internet?
With incredible speeds and low latency, 5G would seem like a good potential replacement for home wireless network. Particularly in rural areas, where fast wired internet is tough to come by and the only other alternative is often satellite internet. While the capability is certainly there, 5G isn’t yet a viable alternative to wired home internet.
Verizon offers 5G home internet, but availability is incredibly limited because it relies solely on mmWave coverage. The direction your home faces, what windows you have available, and even what foliage is outside your window can affect speeds. When you do have a signal, though, Verizon quotes “typical” speeds of 300 mbps. The problem is, chances are anyone who has Verizon mmWave coverage is probably in a dense urban area that also has good wired internet.
AT&T doesn’t yet offer 5G home internet to consumers, but has traditionally offered 4G home internet solutions in the past and it’s expected to do the same for 5G eventually. In September 2020 it launched its first consumer-focused 5G mobile hotspot, which moves a step in that direction.
There is currently one T-Mobile 5G home internet plan, now that it offers a robust nationwide network. Most people would be using T-Mobile’s Sub-6 5G, though, which is much slower than mmWave’s capabilities. Still, it could be a good choice for people in rural areas that don’t have good wired internet options. A Sub-6 network can have considerable reach in rural areas, particularly when transmitting to a fixed antenna on a house rather than a phone.
5G use Cases
There are many 5G use cases to be excited about. In the short term, 5G is likely to simply boost your speeds for things like downloading videos and apps, or playing games. In the long term, just as 4G did, 5G could spawn all new industries. Here are some expected future use-cases for 5G connectivity.
Improve home broadband
While 5G is commonly thought of in terms of mobile access, it could also have a significant impact on home broadband and wireless connectivity. Carriers are starting to offer home internet services that rely on 5G connections instead of cable or fiber, and Verizon has already started rolling out a 5G Home service. If this becomes more widespread, it could have a significant impact on the likes of Comcast and Charter, which rely on wired technologies to deliver home internet connections.
Autonomous vehicles
Expect to see autonomous vehicles rise at the same rate that 5G is deployed across the U.S. In the future, your vehicle will communicate with other vehicles on the road, providing information to them about road conditions, and offer performance information to drivers and automakers. If a car brakes quickly up ahead, yours could learn about it immediately and preemptively brake as well, preventing a collision. This kind of vehicle-to-vehicle communication could ultimately save thousands of lives and improve road use efficiency.
Public safety and infrastructure
Eventually, 5G will allow cities and other municipalities to operate more efficiently. Utility companies will be able to easily track usage remotely, sensors can notify public works departments when drains flood or streetlights go out, and municipalities will be able to quickly and inexpensively install surveillance cameras.
Remote device control
Since 5G has remarkably low latency, remote control of heavy machinery will become a reality. While the primary aim is to reduce risk in hazardous environments, it will also allow technicians with specialized skills to control machinery from anywhere in the world.
Health care
The ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) component of 5G could fundamentally change health care. Since URLLC reduces 5G latency even further from 4G, a world of new possibilities opens up. Expect to see improvements in telemedicine, remote recovery, and physical therapy via augmented reality, precision surgery, and even remote surgery in the coming years.
Remember massive Machine-Type Communications? Well, MTC will also play a key role in health care. Hospitals can create massive sensor networks to monitor patients, physicians can prescribe smart pills to track compliance, and insurers can even monitor subscribers to determine appropriate treatments and processes.
IoT
One of the most exciting and crucial aspects of 5G is its effect on the Internet of Things. While we currently have sensors that can communicate with each other, they tend to require a lot of resources and are quickly depleting 4G data capacity.
With 5G speeds and dramatically higher capacity limits, the IoT will be powered by communications among sensors and smart devices (here’s MTC again). Compared to current smart devices on the market, MTC devices will require fewer resources, since huge numbers of these devices can connect to a single base station, making them much more efficient.
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