5G is coming soon...

Qualcomm Tech, a US giant in network innovations is all set to launch 5G connectivity program with its Snapdragon X50 modems. 5G capable smartphones will probably be available in the market by 2019.

When?

5G internet standards were in discussion for a long time and still, the research work is ongoing. Live trials of the 5G NR standard are planned to be paraded by the end of this year, with some of the 5G supported devices rolling out by 2019.

This leads us to believe that the 5G compatible flagship smartphones and headsets of some of the biggest manufacturing companies will be available in the market by next year. 

What will 5G bring to the table?

• Speed: Top-end 4G networks, known variously as 4G+, LTE-A or 4.5G, can deliver peak download speeds of 300Mbit/s. By comparison, 5G promises to offer speeds in excess of 1Gb/s, with many estimates placing it closer to 10Gb/s.

To place that in context, you will be able to download - not merely stream - a full HD movie in less than 10 seconds on a 5G network. The same task would take closer to 10 minutes on 4G.

• Latency: This refers to the delay between a request for content or an action, and that content or action actually being delivered to your phone. Think of the delay between your pressing a web link on your smartphone and that website beginning to load up. This delay is often the main experiential difference between a mobile network and a Wi-Fi connection, and 5G will completely close the gap.

Current 4G response times of 50 milliseconds account for the less-than-instantaneous experience we have when using web-based applications even in a supposedly strong signal area. 5G, by contrast, will boast 1 millisecond end-to-end response times for a broadband-like experience.

• Capacity: Probably the key bottleneck with 4G is its limited capacity. There simply isn’t enough bandwidth in current mobile network frequencies to enable a smooth experience for multiple users within an area.

5G will greatly expand such capacity, both through the opening up of new and less congested frequency spectrum and the smarter use of this spectrum. It will be intelligently allocated to individual users based on their specific requirements, so you’ll always have exactly the right amount of network spectrum for whatever you’re doing - no more, no less.

• User experience: Because of the substantial improvements to speed and latency, the user will have the perception of limitless bandwidth and continuous availability, wherever they are.

5G applications

5G’s much-expanded capabilities will mean more than a simple improvement of current mobile services. It will form the backbone of a number of all-new industries.

The first public use of 5G network technology we’re likely to see is 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). This will form an alternative to current last-mile broadband connections, with the physical connection to your home instead occupied by a wireless 5G set-up. This will make for a much quicker and cheaper installation process without compromising on performance.

The Internet of Things

Looking further, the Internet of Things (IoT) will explode to become all-encompassing, with 5G connecting up millions of tiny low-power devices around our homes and cities.

Phones, fridges, lights and pretty much anything else electric will all be connected to the internet. Connected cars and wearables are already in business, while drones are (forgive the pun) taking off. 5G will take these initiatives to the next level.

Driverless cars that will be able to avoid an accident thanks to notification from sensors on the road. Smart cities that can guide motorists to a vacant parking spot, switch on street lighting when needed by emergency services or identify which roads to grit in bad weather. Smart grids that can conserve energy resources and manage energy consumption. These things could all become reality with 5G.

VR, AR and holograms

We’ll also be able to consume advanced virtual and augmented reality media content on our smart devices as quickly and easily as we currently do with HD videos.

And AR will have more uses than just entertainment, such as satellite navigation appearing on car windscreens and adverts projected onto shop windows. Holographic video could become a reality, which could be used for 3D medical imaging and more. Industrial equipment will be able to be controlled remotely for safer working practices, and a doctor could remotely operate a robot to carry out surgery on the other side of the world.

The possibilities are, quite simply, endless.