5G Technology - An Overview

 5G Technology - An Overview

It was the year 1876, the first telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. A large, chunky, and the wired machine that relied on the transmission of sound through electrical cables.

Now fast forward a century and a few decades to the year 2020. Where we are no longer tied to wires rather we have cellular devices that carry transmitters which allows it to receive seamless transmissions as it enters or exits a cell. From the time when people relied on letters to communicate with each other up until today where we can not only communicate through written words but also through voices, visuals, and more.

All this was achieved by the greatest, much needed and universally adopted invention the INTERNET, which brings us to our protagonist of the article the FIFTH GENERATION (5G) a set of telephone network standard which determines the speed of our internet currently under development. 

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS 5G?

5G is the fifth-generation mobile network, the successor of 4G. When we went wireless the concept of 1G arose which was, simply put, analog technology and the determinant of the internet speed. In merely 3 decades we have progressed from 1G TO 5G with each generation providing greater facilities, increased speed, and other services like GPRS, streaming, messaging and etc. to the users.

5G is currently under development and is expected to surpass 4G in terms of inter speed, battery consumption, and latency among several other improvements. 1g offered us the internet speed of 2.4KBPS and with each generation providing greater speed 5G is a promising speed of 35.46 GBPS (over 35times faster than 4G).

With high speeds, reliability, and negligible latency, 5G will expand internet usage into new realms. A defining the ability of 5G is that it is designed for forwarding compatibility- the ability to flexibly support future services that are unknown today.

Provided the scenario of current times the novel coronavirus has pushed us all into our sheds thereby greatly increasing our dependence on the internet to connect with the outer world be it for education purposes, business meetings, work or home, and so on.

5G is not only needed because of its ability to support millions of devices at ultrafast speed but also because wireless communications are the only feasible options given the worldwide situation after the corona pandemic. And even if there was no pandemic by using 5G it is estimated that by 2035 it will enable $12.3 trillion of global economic output and support 22 million jobs worldwide. The new data network that defines so many technical applications would be almost impossible without 5G.

APPLICATION AND USAGE OF 5G

5G offers applications way beyond mere wireless connectivity. Even though it’s currently under development yet still all that is promises to offer is remarkable. Some of the uses of 5G are: 

• mMTC(massive Machine Type Communication)/IoT: The growing world of IoT will function smoothly with 5g and thereby enable the users worldwide to incorporate technology in their day to day lives including in the most menial things like automating tasks around the house.

• Cars could get information on traffic congestion and other road conditions

• Enhanced mobile broadband and low latency will enhance VR (virtual reality) and AR (Augmented reality) experiences. Businesses could opt for AR meetings And VR can give the gaming industry huge profits as VR is greatly used in many games.

• Automated vehicles: 5G could helpfully autonomous vehicle future to materialize.

• 5G IoT in smart city infrastructure and traffic management: Many countries are deploying Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and are planning to support connected vehicle technology. And many more.

5G offers different uses to consumers, producers, businesses, and so on. The major categories of Business sectors users for 5G are, Healthcare sector, the Rail industry, Education, Aeronautical, Agriculture, Software industry, E-commerce sector, Transportation, and etc

IMPORTANCE OF 5G

In today’s world globalization has connected nations and given its several merits over the preceding generation, 5G will eliminate the need to physically transmit data, with 5G  we have a unified, more capable air interface and will impact every industry making safer transports, remote healthcare, precision agriculture, digitized logistics, and more a reality.

Today the world is facing a pandemic never seen before, beyond anyone’s imagination. Never have we ever been face to face with something that could put a pause on everything going on around the world. No transportation, no schools, no travel and tourism, no parks filled with children, railway tracks empty, roads empty, and whatnot. All the nations worldwide are going through quarantine and yet the only thing that kept the flow going and kept the hustle of busy streets alive is the internet.

Employees were asked to work from home, schools and colleges began online classes, e-commerce was the only trade still alive and the only way to catch up with friends and family was through voice/video calls. We are dependent on the internet for so many of our requirements and 5G is only going to improve the user experience through its multi-GPS peak data speeds, passive network capacity, increased availability, and more uniform user experience to more users. All this is a crystal clear statement in itself.

"5G is a necessity"

But necessity is one thing and its real-life application makes us question whether what previously seemed to be boon is a bane?

In an ever-growing world where every day there’s a new invention of some sort, we need to be selective when it comes to the kind of technology that could have a global impact. So let us shed some light on the pros and cons of 5G technology.

PROS OF 5G:

• Tremendous internet speed:

With 5G we can forget what buffering is. It is said to offer a speed of 35.46 GBPS which is over 30times of what 4G offers. Greater speed will enable broadcasting, streaming, video conferencing and etc. easy, clear and uninterrupted.

• Less tower congestion:

With more bandwidth availability people will be able to multitask with their devices, making them versatile. Traffic on limited towers will be reduced and we won’t feel like we are in a race with other users piling up on limited towers and increasing traffic on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and even WhatsApp.

• New technology Options:

Artificial Intelligence, virtual the reality, augmented reality, machine learning and etc. are the areas that could be revolutionized with 5G. The limitations of 4g make it difficult to do much in the aforementioned areas but with 5g we can expect some great things our way. 

• Economic boost:

By using 5G it is estimated that by 2035 it will enable $12.3 trillion of global economic output and support 22 million jobs worldwide. Even though it is an ere estimation but the figures seem quite promising, so let’s hope that it uplifts the economy, as due to the novel coronavirus pandemic the economy worldwide is facing a very difficult time and just need a boost.

CONS OF 5G

• Broadcast distance:

5G is based on frequency waves which are said to trail well only in plain clear line of sight so many obstacles on the way like trees, buildings, and even rain could possibly damage the connectivity with 5G. However, since it is still under development so maybe this demerit could be taken care of.

• Battery drainage/heat:

Currents tests and experiments have shown that devices operating on 5G tend to consume more data than the ones using 4/3G. Another observation is that of excessive heat. Devices operating on 5G tend to heat up quickly. So mobile phones that support 5G need to incorporate some heat management and must offer greater battery power to make 5G usage successful

• Lack of widespread coverage:

Currently, 5G coverage is limited to narrowly define areas in specific cities. There sure is going to be expanded but that could be financially draining and a scrupulous task. 

The impact of 5G on a worldwide level can only be analyzed once it is developed but what we need to enquire right now is how it is going to affect our country INDIA.

In the past few years, it’s evident that the government has been emphasizing digital India. Digital payment methods are being encouraged, UPI is almost everywhere, one great project was to link high-speed data to rural regions of the country and so more with the aim of converting the country into a digitally enabled society to make sure government facilities are available to residents electronically... India being a developing country is taking on new challenges on its way to becoming a developed country and 5G could be a great aid in this mission.

Writer: Aastha Soni

Editor: Sonal Kamble