As 2019 came to a close, 5G was one of the many tech subjects that was promised to have big results in 2020.
Multiple countries either plan their first 5G rollout, major 5G upgrades, or massive new functions with 5G for 2020. How are those projects coming along, and what else is on the horizon?
Here are a few updates about 5G in 2020 to see what the technology is doing and what the world has to look forward to in the next few months.
Understanding 5G’s Reach
5G already exists in multiple major cities across the world. The technology is new, and because of the shorter waves used to create 5G signal, the reach is confined to those major metro areas due to cost and customer coverage opportunities.
Switzerland is currently the global leader, with the United States and South Korea projected to trade the 2nd place status for months to come. In the US, 5G coverage is split by these major carriers:
- AT&T
- Sprint
- T-Mobile
- Verizon
5G availability doesn’t mean it’s for all customers. Some 5G networks are only available for business customer use, while others may be part of bigger infrastructure plans. Commercial-only 5G is a good testing area before rolling out individual plans.
Why the delay? Moving personal use customers to 5G without deeply testing the quality and setting expectations is business nightmare. It’s better to organize expectations and share test results with business clients.
While there are always exceptions, it’s easier to meet and negotiate with a commercial entity that expects growing pains than to disappoint millions of individuals who may want quick refunds. Business testing holds high value here.
Higher 5G Utilization
Many people wonder about 5G in 2020 and don’t realize that it was already in many cities for testing in 2019. That’s because the 5G rollout was largely underwhelming.
If you’ve been alive long enough to see dial-up, 1-20MBPS internet, and the current world of gigabit internet, you already know the problem. There aren’t many people who can use the full power of 5G.
Think of 5G as a new highway rather than a single gift that will instantly put great results at your doorstep. You can achieve bigger things if you’re a creator, but if you’re just a user, you need to wait on creators.
For most people, this means waiting on bigger files and quality. Higher quality video can be delivered faster, mobile games can have higher built-in graphics and bulk data without taking too long for 5G customers, and other products can get bigger.
The business, industrial, STEM, and military sectors will see the biggest use here. Just as individuals will be able to send and receive bigger files faster, big science and tech groups can transfer information and run bigger systems.
Virtual computers can exist in the cloud with faster performance. The cloud itself gets bigger and faster, since cloud computing is all about sending information across virtual networks.
For more details on 5G changes, contact a telecommunications specialist.
Photo by Rob Hampson on Unsplash