Following the success of our first article about the upcoming 5G network, we decided to update it with new information that has been revealed over the last few months. The new 5G network will be unveiled around next year, and it’s currently on everyone’s lips. Even though it is highly anticipated and everybody is talking about 5G, there is still much to be learnt about this new frontier of technology. We at Planhub are eagerly tracking its development and will be sure to help you choose the best 5G data plans and offers as soon as they become available.
In the meantime, here is everything you have wanted to know about 5G technology.
First things first, what is 5G ?
5G, like its name suggests, is the fifth generation of mobile communication network technology and follows 4G which is the current latest technology in use.
Every new generation advances the current state of technology to make possible what has not been possible before.
The first generation paved the way for the very first mobile phones back in the 1980’s, and the second generation made access to the internet from a wireless phone possible. The third and fourth generations finally allowed users to efficiently use the internet with their smartphones and enjoy continuous broadcast of online content.
5G promises to be the generation of Internet of Things which means interconnected devices, Infocloud (the storage of data through a network, self-driving cars and industrial connected robots, amongst others).
5G Mobile Plans: What to Expect
Besides access to new technologies, each new generation also sees a significant increase in data treated per second. In other words, a new gen network allows for a faster and smoother connection. With 5G mobile plans, this increase is especially significant. It is estimated that speeds between 1.4 to 4.5 GB per second (gbps) will be possible, up from the current 4G technology which tops out at speeds of 40mbps! So compared to current speeds, the new 5G network will allow for speeds around 20 times faster.
5G will introduce unprecedented rapid speeds and capabilities. If you want the best possible experience, make sure you have one of the best 5G cellphones available. Additionally, make sure your plan aligns with one of the strongest performing 5G networks in Canada.
How will these changes impact me?
From a practical standpoint, that means users will be able to download 10 movies on the 5G network in the same amount of time that it takes to download half a movie with the 4G Network.
The incredible speed and low latency of the network will pave the way to a high number of emergent technologies.
Devices like cars, industrial robots and connected health devices will be able to benefit tremendously from this network update. With a reduced latency time, self-driving cars will be able to detect and avoid danger in milliseconds, making safer self-driving cars that much more possible. It will also help other technologies such as virtual reality, which is still struggling to find its place in our current ecosystem. A faster network will result in a smoother experience that may eventually be entirely wireless.
What are the risks ?
In order to work at its full potential, the 5G network will potentially rely on “millimetric waves” which will allow transfer speeds unmatched to this day. The one big issue with these millimetric waves, however, is their range – they don’t travel far enough.
In order to ensure total coverage with the best possible flow, telecom companies will have to install a lot more antennas. This in turn, will result in an exponential growth in technology waves in our ambient atmosphere. Will that affect human health? It is difficult to say. Experts agree that it is still too early to know for sure the risks that 5G and millimetric waves represent on the human health.
If you’d like to know more, here is an Environmental Health Trust article about the subject.
5G Data Sim: When Can I Start Using 5G?
The new 5G network is highly anticipated in the tech world and the first compatible phones such as the Samsung S10+, LG V50 Thinq and HTC’s 5G Hub are already in the market and more and expected over the course of the year.
However, this doesn’t mean that the network itself will be operational so quickly. Some small isolated 5G networks have already been launched in different cities in order to test the technology, but they are far from the large-scale network that will be available within the next few years. Some expect that at the earliest, a 5G data sim could become available around the end of 2019 or early 2020.
Are you excited about the upcoming 5G network? Are you concerned about the possible health repercussions? It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t have an opinion on the subject, so please let us know how you feel about this upcoming technology in the comments!
