There is little doubt that technology has an incredibly positive impact on our lives. Nevertheless, When it comes to big tech trends, It’s also important to remember that sometimes a little skepticism is justified.
Let’s talk about 5G for example. Finally, We are fully autonomous cars, robotic surgery; Isn’t it promising all the other future audio applications from smart cities and last-generation cellular networks?
The simple truth is that the telecoms industry has touted as ridiculous examples of what 5G is supposed to be capable of in the early stages of technology development and deployment.
Their goal is to get us all excited about the prospect of the once-in-a-decade transition to next-generation wireless communications. Unfortunately, All of those efforts completely misrepresent the public’s view of the impact of 5G. But that doesn’t mean 5G is completely broken.
In fact, far from it. The problem is, Much of the business’s initially unanticipated impact was elsewhere, different from the typical consumer.
5G at home.
One of the biggest shocks of the 5G era so far is something that’s officially called fixed wireless access (FWA), but more commonly called wireless broadband. Basically, It’s a wireless replacement for regular cable-based Internet service.
Initially, Because 5G is primarily associated with our smartphones and other mobile devices, many people haven’t given it much thought. And it’s not exactly the most exciting or groundbreaking application to replace existing technology.
But FWA is quickly becoming a detriment to consumers across the country. Because it is simple, easy, Because in many cases it’s a faster way to connect your home to the Internet. Instead of drilling holes into your home to run cables, You can set up a wireless router near a window in your home with a simple smartphone app (assuming service is available where you live, you can check on service providers’ websites).
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In fact, T-Mobile has more than 2.6 million subscribers for its 5G broadband service, Verizon has nearly 1.5 million homes and businesses for its wireless broadband, and just last week, AT&T officially announced it would be entering the wireless business. Well.
To be clear, There are faster options for home internet, especially with fiber-based services, but for many people, 5G fixed wireless is good enough. And it can often reach rural areas that aren’t easily served by other options.
PC and 5G
Another growing opportunity is for 5G-equipped PCs (a topic I wrote about in a previous column). Now everyone is starting to travel again, but We all use Teams on our PCs in different places. zoom zoom While running meetings such as Webex, The need and value of these devices has become very apparent.
Unfortunately, While there are still challenges with pricing and availability of 5G-equipped PCs, we expect to see significant improvements later this year.
One of the broadest capabilities for 5G is expected to be around connected devices and sensors. The idea is that the improved speed and bandwidth between 5G and 4G will bring everything from AR and VR headsets to cars, Cellular-connected devices will spread to home appliances and more.
In fact, Some efforts have already begun, but mostly in manufacturing, health care, agriculture etc. are exclusive applications for vertical industries. Many of these projects are starting to take effect, but not your way. I can easily see
5G in business
On the enterprise side, we are seeing more 5G applications. Many companies are starting to set up so-called “private 5G” networks that only employees or work devices can access. In many cases, They are used to supplement or augment existing Wi-Fi networks because they provide important security and performance benefits.
The funny thing is, We’ve seen the least tangible impact of 5G, and it’s on the smartphone side where expectations are highest. for example, As many have observed, In many cases, download speeds aren’t much different than 4G. But even here, You’ll notice that average download speeds have improved (in some areas dramatically) and it’s almost impossible to find a phone that isn’t 5G equipped.
In other words, the effect is real and a little more subtle than we might expect.
The future of 5G
We won’t see any real killer applications for 5G in the near future, though. There are glimmers of hope. Major US carriers have already begun to implement several important infrastructure technologies, including what is known as network sharding. These network-based developments are expected to create new types of 5G-only services for businesses and consumers.
In addition, We are seeing a wider deployment of new frequencies for cellular networks, particularly C-Band or mid-band.
Although not as exciting as the sci-fi-like capabilities that the industry has touted, It provides real-world benefits that we can all appreciate.
