Is 5G Technology Not Enough Anymore?
By TOI Desk Report August 12, 2023 Update on : August 12, 2023
A couple of years have passed since 5G was released, but the wireless technology has yet to live up to its promise. 5G is designed to have 100 times more network traffic capacity and efficiency than 4G. Additionally, it has no latency meaning zero delays between request and response time.
On paper, it seems perfect, supporting up to 100+ Mbps on average. But this isn’t necessarily the case. So, is 5G technology not enough anymore? Read on to find out.
Everyone Is Yet to Access 5G
The deployment of 5G connection is slow. A large population of the world is yet to access it. Therefore, many people haven’t experienced better connectivity, fast download speeds, and zero latency promised by 5G.
These days, you can find 4G in almost all parts of the world. Since it’s available on the go, people can conveniently access the internet, including playing at the best rated online casino sites.
5G coverage is limited to proximity. The signal cell towers operate on minimal millimeter waves. This means that a single tower can serve very few users. More antennas must be created to serve more people, which is costly.
Telecom companies are expected to invest nearly $600 billion in 5G tech infrastructure between 2022 and 2025. Most companies are still reluctant to make such a huge investment. Without these investments, 5G is still not accessible to most customers, making it insufficient.
5G Is Easily Prone to Interference
5G relies on high-speed frequency to transmit signals. It also has a wavelength of 30GHz to 300GHz, therefore easy to absorb and scatter. If the signal is diffused, it affects quality and interference.
Atmospheric factors like water vapor and rain can easily disrupt the 5G network. Additionally, the higher frequencies are susceptible to blocking by trees and taller buildings. Blocking due to physical objects, including the human body, affects the indoor propagation of 5G.
This explains why 5G users might have all bars, yet it isn’t working. Since it can easily be interfered with, it is less reliable than 4G networks.
Scarcity of 5G Compatible Devices
5G is not compatible with most available devices. Upgrades are required before accessing the network, which can be expensive and time-consuming. For example, for those using sim cards, you cannot use a 5G card on a 4G phone. The same case applies to 4G sims on 5G phones.
The vision of 5G was to form a unified band supporting a wide range of services. It aimed toward an ecosystem availability engulfing industrial equipment, IoT devices like sensors, fitness trackers and smart refrigerators, and more.
Since this wireless technology is still in its early stages, it might take a while before this is possible. This slow implementation process makes 5G not enough anymore.
Conclusion
It is without doubt that 5G has a lot to offer. This tech has already paved the way for a new generation of IoT devices, cloud gaming, fast downloading speed, and much more. However, the slow rollout process of 5G is making it inefficient, thus not meeting expectations. Considering 6G is around the corner, we should see more reliability, accessibility, and adoption of 5G worldwide.
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