During the last two decades, the world has witnessed the rapid evolution of cellular communication technologies, from the 2G Global System for Mobile (GSM) to the 4G Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) system. The primary motivation behind all of the advances has been the ever-increasing need for more bandwidth and lower latency. The much anticipated upcoming 5G release is expected to enhance not only the data transfer speed of mobile networks but also the scalability, connectivity, and energy efficiency of the network. However, as an emerging technology, there are many questions surrounding 5G.
What is it exactly and how will it affect consumers?
5G is much more than just faster data speeds for your mobile devices. It also broadens many markets that focus on different consumer and industrial applications and uses — some of which seem unbelievable now because they’re so futuristic. For example, Ulrich Dropmann, head of industry environment networks at Nokia, gave a scenario where you might be cruising in your driverless car when, unbeknownst to you, a crash has just occurred up ahead of the road. With the much superior 5G technology, sensors placed along the road would be able to instantly relay that information back to your car (this is where having low latency is essential), so it could break earlier and avoid another accident.
One of the wireless industry giants, AT&T, intends to be the first U.S. carrier to have 5G as a mobile standard by the end of the year, across 12 cities. Other U.S. carriers are also planning 5G integrations, with Sprint and T-Mobile planning network launch dates next year. Market leader Verizon has been evaluating similar network upgrades since 2016 and has promised support for mobile users soon.
On the other hand, cost and complexity are two main challenges for 5G. How 5G services will eventually be priced is unknown at this point, but it's possible you may end up paying more. Speaking on a panel with the Federal Communications Commissioner, Ajit Pai, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong for you to eventually charge a higher price for faster access to your network.” While he confirmed that no decisions were made yet, “the basic rule of economics says consumers are willing to pay more for a better service," he added.
In conclusion, 5G is expected to be one of the most innovative technologies in modern times, pushing forward substantial economic growth across various industries and countries that embrace it. It will allow networks to be more efficient, and this effect will have a significant impact on business productivity while optimizing overall network resources. 5G will also augment consumers’ lifestyles by enabling automated interaction with things around us in the same way we interact with other humans.
There’s no doubting that 5G is coming in the near future, but in what form and for what purpose remains unclear. That future will depend on which company, or perhaps which country, develops the right technology to support the needs of the next generation of devices – and consumers.
