You probably know 5G will be faster than 4G, but that extra speed will do more than just allow us to download movies quickly, it will open up a whole new world of applications.
So if you’re wondering how 5G will really affect your life read on for a snapshot.
5G is set to truly power the internet of things. Though we’re starting to see ever more connected devices now, from 5G phones and tablets to fridges and lights, the number is only going to grow and it will take 5G technology to accommodate it.
By the time 5G launches (which won’t likely happen before 2020 at the earliest), there could be as many as 25 billion connected devices in the world and these won’t just be the phones and computers we rely on now, but cars, street lamps, roads, appliances and even clothes.
This will be the real internet of things, with all these devices communicating with one another as needed, so tags on food packaging will tell your fridge when they’ve gone out of date, your smart car will receive information from other cars so it knows traffic conditions, your front door will automatically unlock when you approach it and more.
Many of these things are theoretically possible now and we’re already starting to see new connected devices, such as the Nest smart thermostat, which learns the temperatures you like and turns itself down when there’s no-one in the house, but for the sheer number of connected devices we’ll have in the future mobile networks are going to need a 5G overhaul to cope with the demand.
Some things will specifically require the extra speed of 5G too, for example smart cars, which could need to make life or death decisions at a split second’s notice. Over 5G they’ll be able to make those decisions far faster than they can with 4G.
Speed is the headline feature of 5G, just as it was with 4G, and it’s justified, as while the exact speeds of 5G are yet to be confirmed they could be anywhere from several dozen times faster than 4G to 1000 times faster.
Either way it will mean that HD films can be downloaded in just a few seconds, songs and videos will begin streaming instantly, no matter how high quality, and websites will load in a flash.
There’ll be no lag when gaming online either. Everything will be fast, fluid and essentially instant. It will mean you’ll be able to get speeds on your phone which are faster than even the quickest home broadband speeds today.
As well as more connected devices we’ll also see more augmented reality and virtual reality with 5G. There are already apps which give us directions over the view of a street through the phones camera, or project images and animations over the environment, but with 5G and ever more connected devices any screen or window could potentially be used for it.
Car windshields will display directions, billboards could recognise individuals and display adverts targeted specifically at them and more. All this will require instantly updated data, which itself really needs 5G.
Coming not so soon
5G is coming, but don’t expect it too soon. The earliest we’ll likely see it is 2020, which is the target much of the wireless industry is working towards, but some think that’s too ambitious and even once the technology is finalised it depends on networks rolling it out, which itself will be a big, time consuming and expensive job.
Even 4G is still unavailable in a large number of areas, so don’t expect to reliably be able to use 5G everywhere until at least a few years after 2020.
But when the rollout is complete we should see the greatest advancement in mobile data technology yet, enabling us to do all the things highlighted above and more besides, not to mention all the potential applications which haven’t even been thought up yet. The future is 5G, and that’s exciting.
Useful reading : What is 5G?
Company director for our 4 websites as follows:
Simon has a first class honours degree in business management and has worked for our companies since 2008. He is responsible for the upkeep of the website, including the price comparison tools and for some editorial content across the site.
He has joint responsibility for 3G.co.uk and SIMOnly.co.uk and is lead Director for 4G.co.uk.
Ofcom has laid out its plans for the auctioning of 26GHz and 40GHz mmWave 5G spectrum.
