What is 5G And Why is it so Great?

I attended the Mobile World Congress Americas trade show in Los Angeles this week and was excited to have the show locally, as it is always in Barcelona each year.  

We’ve all heard that 5G is coming and it’s going to an amazing technology with lightning speeds.  But what exactly does that mean for us?

I was anxious to find out at the show, as I heard news this week that AT&T is rolling out 5G in 5 more cities (for a total of 12), Verizon is implementing 5G for the Home, and T-Mobile plans to have 5G in 30 cities by the end of 2018. 

T-Mobile and Sprint together have ambitious plans for 5G – both separately and combined if given the chance to merge.

WHAT IS 5G?

Simply said, 5G comes after 4G as the fifth generation of cellular networking.  It is the latest standard for mobile technology and how data will be transmitted. 

It is poised to dramatically increase the number of connected devices, the speed and bandwidth of data, and decrease the latency of data transferred.

It is predicted that our current 100 billion connected devices will grow to over 1 trillion by 2030. 

It won’t just be phones, wearables, and home devices, there will be devices on our cars, streetlights, and even trashcans that will communicate via 5G communication protocols.

This chart from CTIA.org showing how speeds of cellular networking have changed from its first introduction of 1G in 1981.

You can see how radical the change is from 4G to 5G.  Compare it to the horse and buggy of yesteryear to a bullet train of today. 

It goes beyond just transferring data but will deliver continuous, almost instantaneous intelligence and capabilities through an entire ecosystem of connected AI devices, sensors, antennas, and processing of huge amounts of data and video.

With the opening of new frequency space by our government, 5G will utilize millimeter wave frequencies which offer much faster speeds.  The transfer of data will hugely impact society as we know it, but it comes at a cost. 

These frequencies have a shorter range and will not be able to pass through buildings or walls.  Thus, more 5G cells will be needed. 

The good news is 5G cells are much smaller than 3G and 4G cells and can be added to lamp posts, buildings, and traffic light support bars.

Here’s an example of what one of the cells will look like from T-Mobile.

How Will 5G Change Our World?

The obvious and first impacts to consumers will be enhanced video broadcasting, video streaming, and simultaneous interactive games.  B

ut according to CNET, 5G has the potential for some pretty revolutionary societal advancements such as…

Autonomous cars

Cars will drive themselves and will eventually not even have steering wheels.  All cars will have sensors and cameras.  According to CNET’s interview with Marc Naddell, a vice president at chipmaker MediaTek, 

“Once all cars have sensors and cameras, they could also capture continuous video footage, said  If there’s an accident, you’ll be able to view video from all angles, not just from the cars involved but from all cars in the area at that time.”

This instantly responsive network and ubiquitous coverage means the cars will be able to use 5G to talk to other cars and sensors built around the city, from street lamps to gas stations.

There will also be multi-use vehicles you can rent by the hour or however long you need.  Order one and they will drive to you. 

Use one with sophisticated equipment to help you with work (like a lab), order one if you’re interested in shoe shopping, one could even be used for driving you overnight to a destination 8 hours away (complete with bed).

This is not just a concept dream, Toyota is working on these vehicles now to be ready in the early 2020’s.

This concept if pretty fascinating.  See our CES Top 5 Trends from earlier this year for some of their videos depicting how these vehicles would work.

Connected cities

Connected cars will send and receive signals from antennas to regulate traffic, allow for immediate interruptions (ambulance, police, fire, secret service), and help cars get to where they are going more efficiently.

Public garbage containers will communicate information so they can be emptied as needed, not based on a schedule.  

Drones will deliver goods more immediately to people and businesses.  This area will explode and traffic can be controlled via real-time video and sensors.

Virtual Surgery

Need a top-notch doctor who lives in another part of the country…or another country?  Using AI, Virtual Reality, robotics, and 5G, surgeons can operate on you virtually. 

Virtual reality surgeon gloves have already been developed to assist with this amazing (but hard to believe) virtual surgery.  The surgeon uses the gloves to manipulate robot arms to conduct the surgery remotely.

Video Conferencing

Imagine video conferencing with amazing crisp detail and clarity with absolutely minimal latency (delay).  It will feel like you are in the room with them. 

Singers and band members can practice in real-time together without being physically present.

Education

Virtual reality will open students to the world, visiting faraway places, learning from experts in other places, and seeing virtually firsthand how things they are studying are or were created. 

Pauses in streaming due to bandwidth will be a thing of the past.

A Mom’s Perspective

The first 5G phone has already been introduced into the market, the Moto Z3.  However, there are few cities where 5G is rolled out at this time. 

Expect to see more 5G phones available next year.  5G phones most likely will work on both 4G and 5 G outlets so you can get better coverage until 5G for further widespread.

I think 5G is going to be explosive in business.  It allows for real-time data, fast action robots on the manufacturing line, and ways to decipher real-time video and make automatic decisions based on the artificial intelligence deciphering the data.

Although I love the concept of a smart connected city, the most obvious way to have 5G sensors on cars is to have each person pay for the transfer of data from their vehicle to nearby sensors. 

I doubt getting everyone to pay for 5G service for their car will quickly gain widespread popularity.

But these issues will be solved in time.

There’s no doubt that 5G will touch every industry and have a positive impact including healthcare, e-commerce, education, transportation, energy, logistics, law enforcement and more. 

Our future with 5G will be amazing, but before it can happen, a lot of infrastructures will need to be in place.