Debunking 5G Myths

5G networks are being deployed, and 5G-capable smartphones have already hit the market. You can go on YouTube right now and see people testing their new 5G toys. It’s pretty exciting. With all of the excitement comes the potential for misinformation. 5G is a brand new technology, and it’s changing the game. Unfortunately, not everyone who speaks on the topic has a proper understanding of it all. For that reason, we’re here to debunk a few of the most pervasive myths surrounding 5G. It’s cool stuff, but it’s not exactly what you might think it is.

5G Is Here!

It’s fair to say that 5G exists. There are working applications, but to say it is up and running is a bit of a miss. 5G requires entirely new infrastructure. The 5G that is currently accessible in the world, and especially in North America, is extremely limited. It’s going to take a long time to deploy the incredibly large number of networking and relay stations necessary to blanket even one city in 5G. There’s a lot of work left to be done.

Instead of celebrating the arrival of 5G, it’s probably more prudent to acknowledge that there are now areas where 5G applications can be tested. For mainstream deployment, there are years of work ahead. There’s no need to rush. You have plenty of time to learn about 5G before you completely overhaul your systems.

4G Is Dead

Even if 5G was fully deployed and blanketed the world, it still wouldn’t spell the death of 4G. This rollout is fundamentally different from when 4G replaced 3G. With the previous upgrade, 4G still utilized the same principles and technology; it just enhanced existing cell infrastructure. That made it a lot easier for carriers to upgrade their entire systems to 4G (even though there are plenty of remote areas that never saw this upgrade).

More to the point, 4G made wireless communication fundamentally more useful than it was before. 5G represents a huge upgrade in what we can do with wireless communication, but a lot of the devices that actually need the speeds and latency improvements of 5G don’t exist yet. Even the tech that can benefit is far from commonplace.

If 5G was everywhere, a lot of people would hold onto their 4G devices because it’s fast enough for a large range of applications.

It’s All About Smartphones

This is the crux of misunderstanding surrounding 5G. Sure, 5G will let you watch more videos in higher definition, but that’s actually a miniscule portion of the application of the faster technology. For most people, using data and internet on their phones won’t feel much different when they upgrade from 4G to 5G.

Instead, 5G is being developed as the infrastructure that supports the next generation of mobile technology. We’re talking about a communications system that was built from the ground up for things like remote data, IoT and remote robotics. This is stuff that benefits from a much faster signal.

Because 5G is necessary to push a lot of these applications, they’re currently underdeveloped. Devices need to be invented. Logistics still need to be solved. There’s no question that 5G technology will eventually transform your industry, but unless you’re specifically invested in developing 5G applications yourself, it’s a bit premature to overhaul your existing technology to jump on the 5G bandwagon. You can take your time on this one.

5G Is Expensive

This is possibly the most confusing myth surrounding 5G. It involves developing a whole new infrastructure. Surely, that costs a lot of money, and inevitably, that expense has to be passed on to consumers and customers, right?

While that thought isn’t exactly wrong, it misunderstands the motivation powering 5G. The new technology will cost money to deploy, but it has been designed with the benefit of decades of experience. Everything that was learned when earlier wireless infrastructure was deployed has been applied to the new tech. It’s dramatically more efficient, and carriers (who are bearing the brunt of the upfront costs) are rolling out 5G far more economically than they did previous infrastructures.

The biggest thing to understand is that 5G is specifically designed to improve network capacity. The superior technology is actually lowering the cost of data transmission. 5G networks are expected to send a single gigabit of data for less money than 4G. These savings are expected to reach all of the consumers. Now, those savings might evaporate when everyone starts consuming vastly larger amounts of data, but the overall operational costs go down. That’s important to remember.

There’s a lot more to 5G than can be covered in a single post. Whether you’re excited about new ways 5G is transforming the world or worried about newfound health risks of the technology (there are none), 5G is a large topic. You’ll need to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t pass you by, but if you’re getting this early start, you’ll be ok.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: BRITTANY PECKHAM

Brittany grew up in Oregon, Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Business School with a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Human Resources with an emphasis in entrepreneurship. Brittany has been working with Valicom for many years creating content for the TEM industry to deliver the many benefits users and organizations can experience in utilizing TEM services. With a passion for social media marketing, Brittany enjoys applying creativity throughout various areas of her life while expressing creativity in everything she does and loves being consumed in projects, from start to finish.