A Luddite's Guide to 5G

A jargon-free primer on the next-generation wireless network.

F1G, and it sucked. This first-gen network was what Gordon Gekko’s blocky cell phone used in the ’80s. Now, 5G’s blistering speeds threaten to make our 4G current networks as archaic as Reagan-era tech. Here’s how it could change your life.

1 / TRANSPORTATION

If you just felt something, that was all of Silicon Valley fist-bumping, because self-driving cars will be a reality with 5G. Unfortunately, wireless providers might need years to build the needed infrastructure for these vehicles.

2/PUBLIC SAFETY

5G will play a huge role in disaster response and prevention, mostly by seamlessly linking public-safety communications, such as ambulances, dam sensors, and traffic lights.

3/ HOME

Smart-home networks will have the capacity to handle a constant, large flow of data from tiny sensors in air filters, lightbulbs, and HVAC units, to help improve a dwelling’s safety and energy-saving capabilities.

4/WORK

Prepare to say goodbye to super-laggy video conferencing and hello to 3-D-hologram meetings with your boss and colleagues, thanks to 5G-supported augmented reality.

5/ENTERTAINMENT

These days, streaming Succession without any glitches seems more far-fetched than autonomous cars. 5G should eliminate such server overloads, and take only five seconds to download super-high-def movies. That’s, like, all of the Transformers movies in less time than it takes to nuke a Hot Pocket.