You’ve likely heard about it in the news, but 5G has been taking the world (and now the United States) by storm. 5G capable phones are rolling out, and the four major wireless carriers in the U.S. have officially announced the availability of their initial 5G networks. While this is great news, 5G is still new and has a lot of room for growth.
The wireless capabilities of our cell phones have changed dramatically over the years. Before 3G existed, it wasn’t possible to surf the web from our mobile devices. Mobile phones were limited to mobile telephone calls. As 3G was rolled out, and eventually 4G, things only got better. 3G allowed us to surf the internet from a phone, and 4G allowed us to stream videos as well as create a web of apps that constantly need a sustained and reliable connection. With 5G, the limits of what you’ll be able to do are so great that it can be hard to imagine. Unfortunately, your existing smartphone probably can’t take advantage of the 5G benefits. You’ll need to get a new device that is compatible, but there are also a few other circumstances to make sure you’re aware of.
One of the biggest issues with 5G is that you need to make sure you have everything required to actually get the benefit of it. That means you need a smartphone that can use it, a wireless carrier that provides it, and you have to be in a location that actually has access to it. Depending on the city you’re in and the carrier you have, you may only have access in certain areas of that city as well. While the four major carriers have all launched their 5G networks, there are only four 5G compatible phones currently on the market. But many Americans believe they already have 5G, even when they don’t. Companies such as AT&T use an expanded service known as 5G Evolution, which doesn’t hit the speeds that 5G should be hitting, but many consumers believe it’s 5G due to the logo reading “5GE”. As 5G becomes more widespread, more phones will emerge that can take full advantage of the possibilities. For example, Apple chose to forgo 5G with its latest phone, the iPhone 11, instead choosing to wait until next year before they go all in.
While discussing the different G’s (generations) – 2G, 3G, 4G and now 5G – people typically focus on their cell phones since that’s always been the place where they actually have an indicator of what kind of connection they are getting. 5G opens up a whole new world of opportunities. With 5G being introduced nationwide, it means we can do more than just get higher-quality video streaming on our mobile devices. 5G will allow technology such as augmented reality and virtual reality to become far more useful due to things like the elimination of lag. Many tech companies believe that 5G could eventually lead to AR glasses or VR headsets completely replacing our smartphones, as new technology allows them to break through to the mainstream. Even schools could benefit from 5G by allowing for more virtual and augmented reality experiences that can help make learning more interactive.
While 5G is here, it’s not anything to necessarily write home about at the moment. There is only limited network deployment. There are only limited 5G capable handsets. And, the applications are still being developed. With a little bit of time, it will likely begin to appear everywhere, and that’s when we’ll get to see what it’s really made of.