The future of connectivity depends on technology. From artificial intelligence to telemedicine, all the things that we hope will make our lives safer, easier, and healthier will require high-speed, reliable internet connections. 5G brings speeds of around 10 gigabits per second to your phone. That’s 600 times faster than the 4G speeds on today’s mobile phones. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? If you’re ready for more, here’s everything you need to know about the world of 5G.
The Race for 5G Dominance
The United States has been keen to claim leadership in worldwide 5G deployment. Unfortunately, so far it hasn’t fully succeeded. The China-based company called Huawei, is the world’s biggest maker of 5G network equipment. The UK, Australia, USA, India, Japan, and Taiwan are the countries that have banned Huawei equipment from their networks due to security reasons. The Huawei bans stand to benefit companies like Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung which also make 5G equipment. As America struggles to lead on the 5G network side, it’s also behind from the speed perspective.
The Future of 5G
After years of waiting, 5G is finally arriving in consumers’ pockets. Several auctions for the 5G spectrum have already been held by the US Federal Communications Commission. When it comes to the future of 5G, there’s a lot more to it than just mobile phones. 5G technologies will be able to serve many devices nearly in real-time. This will be important as the number of internet-connected cars, thermostats, environmental sensors, and other gadgets accelerates in the coming years. 5G could help autonomous cars communicate with one other, and maybe someday, 5G could be used to program lights, roads, parking meters, and signals.
With 5G’s low latency, remote surgeries could be conducted, allowing physicians in one location to use network-connected surgical instruments thousands of miles away. Medical professionals will also be able to diagnose and treat patients faster by sending HD images of patients. Industrial manufacturers could use 5G networks to maintain video feeds of their factory and monitor production lines remotely.
