5G Technology — The concept, its advantages and disadvantages

Understanding the 5th generation of mobile network.

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5G Technology is the 5th Generation of cellular network or wireless communication. It will, of course, enable faster internet connectivity than the 4G network.

How does 5G share data?

5G network uses the method of OFDM(Orthogonal Frequency Distribution Multiplexing) to transmit data. Over the internet, although different protocols are used for data transmission, bitstream or bytestream services are used to represent data. In OFDM, incoming stream is divided into orthogonal substreams which are transmitted, and finally the original message is deciphered using Fast Fourier Transform(FFT) algorithm. This is just like, if you want to send your gym-cycle to your cousins, you will first dismantle it into smaller parts, put all these in one box and the send this as a parcel. When your cousins receive it, they can follow the manual or a set of instructions to reassemble the cycle into its original form.

How is 5G technology implemented?

The 5G NR(New Radio) standard, released by 3GPP in December 2017, aims to use two wavelength ranges; namely Frequency Range 1(FR1) covering upto 6GHz and Frequency Range 2(FR2) covering the mmWave range radio frequencies of 20–100 GHz. The mmWave 5G NR technology has already been implemented in certain countries. Thus, 5G mmWave technology uses a very broad spectrum of radio frequency, to aid data transmission.

Advantages of 5G

1. Low Latency: Latency means the time delay between sending and receiving messages sent online. 5G has 1-5 milliseconds’ latency while 4G has 38–40 milliseconds’ latency.
2. Cell Density: The service areas covered by network providers are divided into smaller areas called ‘cells’. While 4G covers 200–400 users per cell, the cell density of 5G can be as large as 100 times that of 4G.
3. High Throughput: Throughput is the speed at which a network can transfer data online. 5G has higher throughput i.e 5G is faster than 4G.
4. 5G network supports Wi-Fi too.
5. Tall towers are not required.

Disadvantages of 5G

1. It is difficult for 5G signals to penetrate obstacles in its path like buildings, towers, trees, etc.
2. Range : Range is the distance around a cellular tower, till which the network is available. 5G has a smaller range than 4G.

How to upgrade from 4G to 5G?

First, one should check whether their device is compatible with 5G. If not, they could visit their nearest mobile service centre and upgrade to a compatible handset or device. If the device is compatible, they should contact their respective network provider and select their required 5G plan.

In India, Airtel and Jio have already launched their 5G services in October, 2022. BSNL will start its 5G services by April, 2024.