The promises of this new technology are great. But don’t hold your breath waiting.
The race for faster and better wireless is on, and players ranging from AT&T and Verizon to Google and Facebook are all over the opportunities they see as 5G technology advances.
Despite the enthusiasm, though, consumers won’t be accessing the nascent technology for several years.
Tests are underway now for 5G, the successor technology to the current 4G LTE, and it stands to be between 10 to 100 times faster than what we’re using now. Put another way, 4G LTE speeds are measured in megabits per second; 5G, in gigabits. That’s the difference between downloading a typical television program in three minutes versus doing it in three seconds.
AT&T expects to begin lab testing soon, and that will be followed by year-end tests in Austin, Texas focusing on 5G’s performance in different weather and environmental conditions. Verizon’s lab testing also should lead to in-market tests this year. Its efforts are being conducted in partnership with Nokia and Samsung, among others.
The potential of 5G goes beyond its speed. Its versatility also lies in its lower latency, a decreased delay time when sending data between devices. Its ability to transmit information almost instantaneously will improve the clarity of video chats and also enable communication to direct driverless cars.
Moreover, it’s widely anticipated that 5G will serve as the backbone of The Internet of Things. That will really power the smart home of the future, making it a highly effective, fast and efficient connector between door locks, light switches, thermostats and appliances so they can “talk” to each other and perform according to your input.
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Wireless carriers aren’t the only companies testing 5G. Both Google and Facebook are said to be figuring out ways to create their own 5G networks – delivered from the sky. And figuring out a new delivery mechanism may be one of the more pressing challenges as this technology evolves.
The existing cellphone spectrum is overcrowded; two-thirds of the world lacks access to broadband. The cure, both Google and Facebook are betting, lies in delivering 5G via high-frequency millimeter wave transmitters. This is also experimental and has been used in airport body scanners.
With its secretive Project Skybender, Google reportedly is looking to utilize those transmitters via autonomous drones, powered by solar energy, to deliver 5G Internet access around the globe. Facebook also is looking to drones and satellites as a delivery mechanism.
For all the hype, the reality is that it likely won’t be until 2020 – and some believe not until 2030 – that 5G technology will be readily available. A big barrier is ensuring industry-wide standards for how 5G creates connections between devices and cell towers and the services it provides. It will take some iterations of the technology before an international standard is developed and endorsed.
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