Talking in 5G goes far beyond what we consider today technology for digital connection. We are at the beginning of a revolution in the connected world, with the first steps towards the implementation of the 5G in Brazil, the newest generation of telecommunications networks.
For many, 5G promises to simply improve smartphone or tablet capabilities by providing enhanced broadband power and increasing mobile capacity and data rates. In fact, 5G is 10 to 50 times faster than previous generations of cellular networks, such as 4G, for example.
According to Forbes, “This new network technology is the key to shaping the future of virtually all sectors, dramatically transforming the way machines interact and work. From manufacturing facilities maintained by hundreds of auto-connected robots that make self-diagnosis and update repairs on their own, 5G is set to become the basis for all connected things.”
With the first established specifications, operators building towers and investing in infrastructure, preparing plans to launch 5G networks later this year, it is time to get acquainted with all 5G things.
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But don't worry: this won't be a deep dive with technical jargon or complicated network stuff. Instead, I've separated the five essential things you need to know about 5G:
Contents
ToggleWhat is 5G
Basically, 5G is a set of wireless network patterns and you should think of them as rules or requirements that a network should meet to be called 5G. OG in 5G means “generation”, so 5G means this is the fifth generation of such standards.
In a logic, each new generation of patterns is defined by data transmission, with 1G being the first and slowest and 5G being the latest and fastest. There are other prominent 5G features: lower latency, support for a large number of devices connected simultaneously.
But really what you need to know is that 5G is the newest generation of network for devices and it will be very, very fast!
What am I supposed to use the 5G for?
Understand that the new 5G standards require faster data transmission, lower latency and wider support for simultaneous device connections. For most of us, this translates into faster download times and content streaming with zero or no delay. I'm talking about the ability to download 8K movies in seconds, not in minutes or hours.
But that's not all. As 5G networks become more widespread and gain a large number of users, the range of possibilities will increase dramatically. Consider issues related to greater coverage with a super fast network.
Large events such as shows and celebrations that bring together thousands of people will have guaranteed coverage and access to the internet, unlike what happens today with failures and difficulties of access and connections.
Theoretically, 5G will support more than 1 million devices per square kilometer simultaneously. But for this to be possible, experts say, it will be necessary to place small antennas in many different places. And that's what's already happening in several cities in the country.
According to the International Telecommunications Union, the United Nations (UN) agency specializing in information and communication technologies, the new infrastructure is expected to support smart buildings, homes and cities, as well as expanding the use of virtual reality, 3D videos, as well as work and games in the cloud or remote surgery.
It will also facilitate the operation of autonomous vehicles without drivers.
How does it work?
Speaking of how 5G works, it's easy to get lost halfway. Fashion words like “full duplex” and “beamforming” and “massive MIMO” make it look more complicated than it really is – at least from a higher level point of view. But you don't need to go into technical studies to know what these terms mean.
To understand how it works, all you really need to know is that 5G will transmit data in a different way from previous generations. We know it will be done differently because previous generations cannot transmit data at 5G speeds.
But what does that mean, to convey differently?
Data is transmitted from and to devices in a specific band and frequency range that in turn have certain limitations to allow data to travel so fast and with a certain latency. 5G will overcome these limitations using a different frequency range (in most cases, higher).
Why?
One of the main reasons is that the higher frequencies do not have agglomeration and therefore can carry more data. As these higher frequencies will be used to transmit data may vary from operator to operator (prepare to listen a lot to the phrase “millimetric wave”) and will probably involve new devices and technologies (again, “beam formation”), but the basic thing is to know that 5G works at higher and less congested frequencies to transmit data faster and without common chokes in 4G.
Who's doing this?
CNN Business recently pointed out that although Brazil is taking its first steps in the 5G market, a network auctioned by Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency), a third of the world has embraced this technology for a long time. According to the survey conducted in June by Viavi Solutions, a company that operates in the telecommunications sector, 65 countries, or 31% of the world, already use the network.
The research indicates that China is the most connected region to 5G, with 376 cities. Right behind, there are the United States and the Philippines, with 284 and 95, respectively. In all, there are 1,662 smart cities, 20% of which have adapted to technology in the last nine months.
Brazil is the first country in Latin America to have the technology.
A study by Conexis Brasil Digital, an entity that brings together telecommunications and connectivity companies in the country, pointed out that 7 capitals are entitled to receive the 5G initially: Boa Vista, Brasília, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Palmas, Porto Alegre and Porto Velho.
The regions were considered suitable because the municipal laws do not require licensing for small infrastructure, do not impose conditions that may affect the selection of a technology and have a maximum period of 60 days for the issue of any license.
Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis and São Paulo are four other cities that are preparing and conducting tests to offer the 5G network.
One of the first 5G tests in Brazil was performed by Ericsson in 2016. And the results were promising, with the possibility that 15 million Brazilians could use 5G on their smartphones and that 59% of Brazilian users intend to join 5G as soon as it is available.
The implementation of the new technology must follow a long schedule, so not all locations in the country should have access to 5G initially. Check the deadlines set by Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency):
- until July 31, 2022: for capitals and the Federal District
- until July 31, 2025: for cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants
- until July 31, 2026: for locations with more than 200,000 people
- until 31 July 2027: for municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants
- until 31 July 2028: for half of municipalities with more than 30,000 inhabitants
- until 31 July 2029: for municipalities with more than 30,000 inhabitants
- until 31 December 2029: municipalities below 30,000 inhabitants
The 5G available in countries that already use the super fast network offers experiences that are generally better than 4G, but are still far from achieving all the technology's potential.
One of the reasons is that operators need to install antennas and fiber optic infrastructure to increase the quality of the connection and coverage, a process that occurs gradually.
Opensignal's September 2021 report pointed out that the leading 5G connection speed country is South Korea, with an average download of 406 Mbps (megabits per second) (for comparison, the 4G speed average in Brazil is 17.1 Mbps).
The consulting also recorded speed peaks of 831 Mbps in Asia, still far from the maximum technology potential that could reach 10 Gbps (gigabits per second) in ideal conditions.
Conclusion
In addition to the cities that need to prepare to receive 5G and the investment of operators, we internet users should also be aware of the devices that can run the new technology.
Currently, most smartphones, tablets and computers used do not have the 5G connection option. So it's important to prepare for upgrades or put your hand in your pocket, as you say. Some mobile manufacturers like Apple, Motorola and Samsung already sell devices with this technology.
It is still early to know what the values of 5G internet plans will be offered by the operators. In Brazil, telephone companies do not charge for technology but for data franchises.
We do not know how this value will be passed on to the final consumer, as infrastructure investment can be very high.
