When 4G wireless internet came into the picture and knocked 3G on its behind, customers were suddenly happier with their services and experiencing faster speeds for the things they love to do on their wireless devices Now, the most recent generation of wireless is here; well, almost. 5G wireless internet is the new big “thing” in telecommunications that has everyone talking and wondering about who will have it and when.
5G is a pretty substantial upgrade from 4G, as it is projected to be able to provide speeds as high as 10,000 Mbps. This all sounds very impressive, especially when you consider that most of the internet plans we use today can only usually offer up to 2,000 Mbps. That being said, however, the 5G that some providers today are already using is not true 5G – because the development of the infrastructure for this new generation is continual, customers probably won’t be seeing these high speeds for a little while longer.
In fact, it seems that the new race in the tech world is the race to true 5G speeds. Since the recent closure of the Sprint & T-Mobile merger that made DISH Network (currently a satellite TV provider) the fourth major wireless carrier in the US, DISH has also announced their intentions to build a completely new wireless network that they hope will be able to provide 5G service to 70% of the United States population by summer of 2023.
As wireless network service providers work towards getting on the 5G bandwagon, there are some kinks and issues with this new generation that they are attempting to figure out. Perhaps one of the major difficulties with 5G is that its reach can be rather limited. This is due to the infrastructure used to create it – with the particular 5G wireless network infrastructure, it often has trouble not only with providing extensive coverage over large areas, but also working properly in inclement weather or even managing to go through walls to provide service within a customer’s apartment, house, or business.
Since January of 2020, all four major wireless carriers – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, & Verizon – have offered their 5G to some US cities, with Verizon having the highest amount of cities covered under their services. However, customers should definitely understand that some of the plans marketed as 5G by certain providers are not the true 5G for which they’re hoping.
For example, AT&T calls its fifth-generation wireless plans “5G Evolution,” which is actually just an improved version of 4G LTE. This marketing trick is intended to entice customers, and it is simply misleading hordes of people who believe they will be receiving the high speeds that true 5G is supposed to offer.
Though we, of course, hope that soon providers will be able to provide true 5G speeds and reach to customers, there is a lot for them to do in the meantime to get their networks up and running as they should. As the days pass, 5G technology and network construction are being changed and adapted by wireless companies who plan to have 5G available to more and more cities in the coming months and years.