Hold off on 5G — for now
Next-generation technology not yet ready for prime time as it rolls out
As Verizon prepared to launch its 5G broadband service for homes late last year, I asked the company if I could try it and report on the results. A technician was dispatched to my condo as I salivated over the notion of hyperfast, wireless internet access.
So I was terribly disappointed to learn that despite a Verizon 5G antenna visible less than half a block from my balcony, the technician couldn’t get a signal from that access point.
He blamed Mother Nature.
Standing between me and 5G was a tree. I knew that some of the frequencies used by this next-generation wireless technology had difficulties penetrating objects, but still I was surprised something so basic was denying me service.
But this is how it is with 5G, which is debuting this year and should hit its stride in 2020. This newer wireless technology will not only bring faster speeds but also lower latency — the speed at which a network responds to a device’s request — and, if the hype is to be believed, could spawn a new wave of innovation.
In Houston, there are two providers of 5G: Verizon, with its home broadband service, and AT&T, with mobile 5G. (The latter is not to be confused with AT&T’s 5G
Evolution, which is actually a beefed-up version of the more prevalent wireless standard LTE.) But as 2019 progresses, all four major U.S. telecom companies will have kicked off their buildouts.
But even though 5G may finally be here, I have a word of advice, even for the earliest of adopters: Wait.
While it may be tempting to snatch up a shiny new 5G smartphone once it’s available and to sign up for service from whatever carrier has launched 5G, those who’ve seen this movie before know you’re better off waiting. Doing so may save you frustration, dashed expectations and certainly money.
“The general public is not advised to go out and buy the brand new, latest tech,” said Anshel Sag, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. “That’s why Apple is successful; they wait for technology to be mature enough to be mainstream.”
Here’s why waiting is likely to pay off.
Expense
In general, you can expect the first handsets that support 5G wireless to cost more. That was true for the first smartphones to use LTE, and it will be even more so with 5G.
That’s because 5G relies on multiple types of cellular frequencies to work properly, and will require multiple antennas and processors. On the off-chance you haven’t noticed, newer, topof-the-line smartphones already crest the $1,000 hill, and you can expect that to continue with early 5G devices. It will be a while before the technology makes its way down to the lower price tiers.
What about the cost of 5G service? Whether it will come with a premium is not yet known.
Currently, only AT&T offers mobile 5G service in Houston and 11 other markets, and it’s accessible only via invitation to a mobile hot spot that mere mortals can’t buy yet. The service is $70 for 15 gigabytes of data each month; the company’s LTE hot spot service costs $50 for 10 GB. How pricing will be structured for smartphones is not yet known.
Hardware
Expect to see early Android-based smartphones from Samsung, LG and other top-name makers, including in Google’s Pixel line, analyst Sag said. But they’ll be Version 1.0 devices, with all that implies.
“Battery life will be the biggest issue,” Sag said. “There will be two modems in the phone and two chips, and that is going to consume more power.”
Coverage
Don’t expect 5G service to be widely available, even after cellular providers launch their offerings. It should appear in the denser parts of urban areas first, then spread out to suburbs and eventually to rural areas.
AT&T isn’t being specific about what parts of Houston are covered by its nascent 5G signal. In a statement, a spokesman said only that “we have multiple 5G radios, which initially are installed on rooftop sites or other typical small cell designs like lamp posts and utility poles.”
An important part of 5G service is a frequency known as millimeter wave. It can carry a lot of data quickly, but it’s the signal that has a hard time passing through objects. Other frequencies are added to the stew, along with increased capacity and other infrastructure known as backhaul that connects the internet to cell towers. Because millimeter waves can’t travel far, it will mostly be used in urban areas where small antennas can be densely packed.