The Basic Truth About 5G

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

In its potential to change the way we live, it’s been compared to the discovery of
electricity. Yes, the coming of 5G has invoked great enthusiasm and high
expectations in the world of technology.

It has also drawn a lot of enemies, resulting in demonstrations and even riots in
several parts of the world.

But, amidst global fears and anxieties, it does seem that 5G is here to stay.
It is estimated that by the year 2025, there would be 3.6 billion users worldwide on
5G networks. [1]

You may wonder: What exactly is 5G? How does it work? Should we be
scared of it? Let’s check this out today izn deepscripts.

What is the Origin of 5G?

In November 2012, the iJOIN project was launched in the European Union to focus
principally on "small cell" technology, especially the innovative utilization of radio
wave spectrum. The idea was to come up with a technology that would provide
faster networks, and access to more devices than earlier technologies.

At the Mobile World Congress in 2015 in Barcelona, Spain, iJOIN showcased some of
the results of their pioneering 5G research to the European Commission.

Huawei, Samsung, and other multinationals committed a lot of funds to support this
research, individually, and in collaboration with other stakeholders.

On April 3, 2019, South Korea became the first country in the world to adopt 5G.
Just hours later, Verizon launched its 5G services in the United States.
Amidst controversies and business intrigues, 5G infrastructure and services have
gradually spread around the world.

Now let’s get down to basics.

What is 5G?

Image by Ümit Solmaz from Pixabay 

5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks.

How does it work?

In 5G networks, the service area is divided into small geographical areas called cells.

All wireless devices that are 5G enabled within a cell are connected to the Internet
and telephone network by radio waves through a local antenna in the cell.

Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay 

Image by macrovector from freepik

Image by macrovector from freepik

Image by macrovector from freepik

Devices and Consumers are connected as usual to their service providers through
appropriate apps. The service providers connect each user through a network of 5G,
as you can see in this diagram:
For a wide area service, 5G networks operate on up to three frequency bands – low,
medium, and high.

Thousands of new 5G cell towers and networks are being built around the world,
with thousands already in operation in key locations and installations.

What are the advantages of 5G over previous technologies?

1980s – 1G networks (1st Generation)

Main feature: Analog voice

1990s - 2G networks (2nd generation)

Main feature: Digital voice

2000s – 3G networks (3rd generation)

Main feature: Mobile data

2010s – 4G networks (4th generation)

Main feature: Mobile broadband

2020s – 5G networks
Main feature: Greater bandwidth

The main advantage of 5G networks is that they have greater bandwidths. A

bandwidth is defined as the capacity for data transfer.

5G was designed with an unlimited capacity to facilitate next-generation user

experiences, inspire new deployment models, and provide services previously
thought impossible.
5G also provides higher download speeds than all previous networks. Data
transfer rates of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) can be achieved with 5G,
compared to 50 Mbps with 4G.

However, the 10Gbps max speed of 5G is difficult to attain in real-world situation.

In bullet points, these are the advantages of 5G networks. They are:

● Open
● Portable
● Programmable
● Agile
● Sustainable
● Fast
● Scalable
● Secure
● Reliable
● Standardized

One of the fantastic benefits of 5G networks is that they have very low Latency.
What does this mean? It means that the time it takes to start movies, TV, or games
would be limited only by the length of time it takes to power on the device.
Equipment would boot faster, video calls would be extremely clear, and speaking on
phone would be as real as standing right in front of the other person.
Inside the house, intelligent robots would do all the work, including cleaning,
cooking and even giving you a bath.
Motor vehicles are already getting very smart, with amazing features like lights and
wipers that turn themselves on and off automatically, adaptive cruise, credit card
readers, lane control, and autonomous driving. However, 5G is expected to provide a
huge leap in car technology. Well cars may not start to fly, but many astounding
features are coming, and pretty fast.
Because of the increased bandwidth, it is expected that 5G networks will eventually
be used as general internet service providers for laptops and desktop computers.
This would give older ISPs a run for their money, while making possible new
applications in internet of things (IoT).

Relative differences between 3G, 4G and 5G:

3G (2011) 4G LTE (2012) 5G (2020)

Speed
(Max data
1.5 Mbps 50 Mbps 10 Gbps
transfer rate)

Bandwidth
(Data transfer
5 Mbps 300 Mbps 10 Gbps
capacity)

Latency
(Network
100–500 ms 50 ms ∼1 ms
responsiveness) 

The key advantages of the 5G technology therefore are as follows:

1. It possesses high speed, capacity and low cost per bit

2. It supports efficient multimedia, voice, and internet
3. It offers global access and service portability
4. It offers high resolution and bi-directional large bandwidth for highly
demanding mobile users
5. It is suitable for IoT (Internet of Things)

What is the Global Impact of 5G?

● From its humble beginnings, it is predicted that by 2025, 5G networks will

have more than 3.6 billion subscribers worldwide. [1]
● By February 2021, about 30% of the earth’s population have unhindered
access to 5G.
 ● So, envision a world with billions of peer-to-peer connected IoT
(Internet-of-Things) devices, fully immersive virtual reality, sensor-
based internet, and intelligent, autonomous devices, and you start to
understand why 5G generates so much heat among policy makers.

Image by ADMC from Pixabay 
 ● 5G is estimated to have a positive global economic impact of $13.2
trillion. It is expected to create 22.8 million jobs.[2]

● Expenditure on Research and Development, as well as Capital Projects is

expected to be up to $265 Billion over the next 15 years.[3]

● By 2025, the number of devices connected to 5G is expected to reach 75

billion globally.[4]

● The full economic impact of 5G will likely be realized across the globe by the
year 2035. A huge range of industries and services will be supported.

Is Anxiety About 5G Justified?

Needless to say, the murky waters of conspiracy theories and anti-5G sentiments
have swept the world.

On October 18, 2018, a team of researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of
Lorraine and the University of Dundee released a joint paper entitled, "A Formal
Analysis of 5G Authentication." The paper insinuated that 5G technology could open
ground for a new era of security threats. This paper described the new technology
as "immature and insufficiently tested."

This raised global anxieties over the safety of this new technology.

Early in 2019, United States, Australia and the United Kingdom took action to restrict
and even eliminate the use of Chinese equipment in their respective 5G networks
due to fears of potential espionage.

In October 2020, the Defense Committee of the UK Parliament released a report

claiming that there was clear evidence of collusion between Huawei and the Chinese
Communist Party.

Fears about the anticipated danger of 5G has persisted, with people claiming that 5G
causes various diseases.

William Broad writing in the New York Times in 2019 said that 5G causes "brain
cancer, infertility, autism, heart tumors, and Alz-hei-mer's disease." There was no
scientific support for these claims.

Instead, the US FDA has said that they believe that "the current safety limits for
cellphone radiofrequency energy exposure remain acceptable for protecting the
public health.” Huawei, Samsung and big organizations around the world support
these assertions.

Summary, then, is this: 5G is safe to use.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

While the controversy rages on however, billions of dollars have already been
invested by the huge cell networks in many countries to proliferate this technology.

The long-term impact of 5G will become known with time.

What is in the immediate future?

Many people are asking, what next? Well, the answer is obvious. 6G. What will that
achieve?
Well, you may know about smart TV, Computers and even smart houses. But with
6G, there would be smart cities.
6G is expected to provide more bandwidth than what is available in 5G, and great
capacity for data transfer. In fact, 6G is expected to be at least 10 times faster than
5G.
After all is said and done, speed and latency will provide the clear distinction
between 5G and 6G.
Will 6G prove to be a revolutionary phenomenon like 5G? Only time will tell.
Thanks for joining us.
……………
References
1. Livewire Tech. “5G Availability Around the World.” Accessed September 20,
2021.
2. Qualcomm Tech Inc. “What is 5G?” Accessed September 20, 2021.
3. Wikimedia Foundation. “5G”. Accessed September 20, 2021.
4. Thales group.”5G – A step change in network technology.” Accessed September
20, 2021.
5. Science Direct. "The Truth About 5G". Accessed September 20, 2021