Does your phone take a long time to load movies or TV shows when you’re out and about, away from home? Without addressing the fact that you are attempting to watch videos on a 4-6 inch screen, I am pleased to announce that your “slow” internet problems will soon be a thing of the past! As long as you live in a major city, that is. AND assuming your cell phone service is from the one of the primary carriers. And if you buy a new cell phone in 2019… Let me explain:
5G has begun rolling out in select cities (underscore CITIES, as the infrastructure and need for 5G is more pronounced in urban environments), and the tech world is about to collectively lose its damn mind. 5G gives us true gigabit speeds WITH low (we’re talking fractions of a millisecond) latency. That opens the door for modernizations like self-driving cars (which I despise) and remote surgical procedures (which is AWESOME). Imagine a world where paramedics can arrive at the scene of a fill-in-the-blank, put an individual in the back of an ambulance, and have a surgeon perform a life-saving operation with the use of robotics before the ambulance even pulls away. Pretty awesome, right?
That scenario would be made possible by 5G’s data transmission speeds, and more importantly the low latency that accompanies it. With the trend of IoT (Internet of Things) ever increasing, that means that before long, devices that can be controlled from anywhere in the world will become the norm, not the exception. What’s more, is that with IoT extending to things like cars and infrastructure (with their already built-in myriad of sensors), soon those devices will be communicating with each other to make life a lot easier. The future will have a lot fewer traffic jams.
Ready to get in on this? Get ready to HURRY UP and wait.
Mobile 5G is already live, with AT&T launching true 5G (true 5G because Verizon’s offering didn’t meet industry standards) in 12 cities just last week. For now, mobile 5G is limited only to phones that have 5G antennas: the phone you have in your pocket now will NOT get 5G. I guarantee it. You’ll have to buy a new phone in 2019 (which will hopefully allow time for your service provider to expand 5G into your area) that has 5G antennas in it. And be prepared to pay more, as several companies have flat out stated that they feel 5G should be charged at a premium. Let that also serve as a reminder that the fight for Net-Neutrality isn’t over…
Speaking of replacing your phone to get 5G, if you hope to use 5G in all its glory, I hope you’re familiar with Android! In typical Apple fashion, the iPhone will be behind the curve until “2020 or later”, which is when Apple has publicly stating that they will entertain the idea of implementing 5G in their phones. This has to do with, among generally being slow to implement new things, iPhones using Intel modems, other phone makers which use Qualcomm, and Intel isn’t implementing 5G anytime soon (or so they say).
5G home internet service is currently available from Verizon in certain cities and will not require anything special from your devices; you only need the 5G modem, provided by Verizon. If you are a Verizon customer, or are willing to become one, and you live in a city they have made 5G available in, you’re one of the lucky ones. Live in a rural area? You probably won’t see 5G until late 2020. It’ll take quite some time and investment to bring this to you. No time like the present to move! 😊