5G is here, but what does it mean?
Australia has 5G, well sort of, we have one carrier Telstra banging on about it, but their offering is limited and expensive.
The star of 5G are new smartphones from Samsung with their all new Galaxy S10 5G and a very unique V50 device from LG which comes with a foldable cover that has a second screen that allows two lots of information to be viewed on the device. Also releasing a 5G device is Oppo with their Reno 5G however serious questions are being asked about security with any Oppo smartphone, following the recent Huawei debacle that has seen Australians question whether the Chinese Government has access to information on Chinese smartphones where Companies have direct links to the Chinese Communist Party.
5G technology delivers high-speed, low-latency connections, meaning 5G could potentially replace traditional fixed-line broadband in your home.
5G will be when fully rolled out the ultra-fast mobile network technology that could also impact the home Wi Fi market.
The most obvious advantage of 5G networks is the greater speed they offer for accessing the internet.
Definitely a significant factor, given our modern reliance on streaming music, video and other online media using mobile networks.
Carriers are also promising lower latency, so you should see an immediate response when you try and play a song, hit a website link and so on.
Qualcomm who make all of the processors used in the 5G devices being offered by Telstra has suggested that we’ll see latency cut by up to ten times in total, to around 1ms, theoretically.
This means that we should hopefully also see greater reliability with 5G, as the technology can handle far greater numbers of users simultaneously.
Apart from faster broadband access on a smartphone, things like smart home appliances and smart cars will be able to reliably connect to the internet, allowing for incredibly responsive control, for example 8K content which we will start seeing in Australia next year will stream better on a 5G connected TV or smartphone than a current MIMO device.
The reason for this is that 5G technology delivers highspeed, low-latency connections, meaning 5G could potentially replace traditional fixed-line broadband in your home.
In recent tests of the Telstra 5G Smartphone offerings we struggled to get past 360Mbps despite Telstra claiming speeds of over 1400Mbps.
If you are already using 4G you will know that it’s a pretty quick way of accessing the internet via a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device and within three years 4G could be delivered all over Australia by Space X satellites at the same speeds you are getting now but at half the cost that carriers such as Optus and Telstra are currently offering.
As well as faster video speeds, 5G will, when operational in Australia, deliver broader and more reliable coverage as well.
How fast is 5G?
Chipset manufacturer Qualcomm – the first company to launch a 5G-ready mobile modem – is one of the many companies that has been working hard on making 5G a reality for over a decade.
Qualcomm reckons that its x50 modem, the first 5G-ready mobile modem to officially launch, can deliver up to 5Gbps download speeds. The fresher X55 modem (launched in February 2019) promises even faster downstream bandwidth of up to 7Gbps. That’s several orders of magnitude above what people who aren’t using full Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) will be able to get from a traditional broadband service.
The future for 4G
Eventually, 4G will certainly be phased out and fully disappear. However, switching on 5G networks doesn’t mean that the existing 4G infrastructure will immediately be cut.
If the Space X service which is built around thousands of small satellites in a low orbit gets off the ground Australians will still have access to cheap data and mobile service that delivers at around 65Mpps which is ample bandwidth to stream Netflix or Foxtel content.
As well as faster video speeds, 5G will, when operational in Australia, deliver broader and more reliable coverage as well.
In fact, as people begin to jump onto premium 5G contracts, anyone still on 4G should see a marked improvement in their mobile service. Less people means less strain, so speed and reliability should be improved.
The mobile provider’s plan is to activate 5G in key Australian Cities and metropolitan suburbs, followed by rural areas.
How do I access 5G?
First up, you will need a smartphone that can actually access 5G networks. In other words, your device needs a compatible modem such as Qualcomm’s x55.
The ones available in Australia so far are:
• Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
• LG V50 Fold Out Smartphone
• Oppo Reno 5G