What is 5G?

5G is something that everyone is talking about. The media keeps talking 5G and saying how much a game changer 5G will be. And yet, what difference does it make, and will it really be a game changer? 

If you read our previous blog about bandwidth this relates in a lot of ways. 5G is a wireless technology that providers like Verizon, ATT, and Sprint plan to use to increase speed. 

Back a few years ago, the big push was 4G.  4G was great for its time. It allowed us to watch videos on a quick connection and really changed the mobile speeds of times gone past. 4G pushed us to a wireless level that we had never seen before, and it brought us to the edge of the capabilities of long range speed. In short, 4G is the fastest data can run based on the distance you are from the transmitter. I will not get too technical as this is not a technical blog. 4G is fast, 5G is faster.

Here is how 5G is faster:

5G involves the companies that provide it to build out more points of access. Just like with the dawn of cell phones, you saw lots of cell towers being built. There will be more towers needed. Likely you will not see more of the old-school, ugly towers everywhere; but rather, the carriers will work with commercial property owners and use other relationships to install devices on buildings.  The speed that 5G is capable of will require the access points to be closer to the users. 

How fast is 5G? 

It’s fast. You will be able to download a full length movie on a wireless connection in seconds, not minutes or hours. 5G will have the speed capability of a wired connection. 

When will 5G be available?

It is available in some markets now. The Cleveland and Akron areas already have 5G. However, just because 5G is available does not mean you can connect to it. You must have a 5G capable device and that does not seem to be happening very fast right now. The majority of new phones being releas

ed now are 5G enabled

If you need help with any technology or are in need of setting your own 5G enabled network, contact DataCom Technologies for your IT needs. Call us at 330-680-6002 or click here to reach us.