Difference between 4G vs 5G
“I think this is the beginning of the fourth generation of the industrial revolution. 5G will be the platform linking billions of devices together,” Terzioğlu told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos in early 2018. Many others, including top executives (two CEOs and others) at Verizon have said: “5G is the fundamental platform for the fourth industrial revolution and will become an integral part of societies and civil infrastructures, just like roads, energy and transportation.”
Fifth-generation wireless (5G) is the latest iteration of cellular technology, engineered to greatly increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. With 5G, data transmitted over wireless broadband connections could travel at rates as high as 20 Gbps by some estimates — exceeding wireline network speeds — as well as offer latency of 1 ms or lower for uses that require real-time feedback. 5G will also enable a sharp increase in the amount of data transmitted over wireless systems due to more available bandwidth and advanced antenna technology.
How 5G works :
Wireless networks are composed of cell sites divided into sectors that send data through radio waves. Fourth-generation (4G) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless technology provides the foundation for 5G. Unlike 4G, which requires large, high-power cell towers to radiate signals over longer distances, 5G wireless signals will be transmitted via large numbers of small cell stations located in places like light poles or building roofs. The use of multiple small cells is necessary because the millimeter wave spectrum — the band of spectrum between 30 GHz and 300 GHz that 5G relies on to generate high speeds — can only travel over short distances and is subject to interference from weather and physical obstacles, like buildings.
5G VS. 4G :
Each generation of cellular technology is separated by not just their data transmission speed, but also a break in encoding methods which requires end-users to upgrade their hardware. 4G can support up to 2Gbps and are slowly continuing to improve in speeds. 4G featured speeds up to 500 times faster than 3G. 5G can be up to 100 times faster than 4G.
The main difference between 4 and 5G is the level of latency, of which 5G, will have much lower of. 5G will use OFDM encoding, similar to 4G LTE. 4G, however, will use 20 MHz channels, bonded together at 160 MHz. 5G will be up to between 100–800MHz channels, which requires larger blocks of airwaves than 4G.
Samsung is currently researching into 6G. Not too much is currently known on how fast 6G would be and how it would operate; however, 6G will probably operate in similar magnitudes more than the differences between 4 and 5G. Some think 6G may use millimeter waves on the radio spectrum and maybe a decade away.
Why 5GE is not really 5G
AT&T has released a 5GE network, and in an update, 4G LTE users have gotten an “upgrade” to 5GE. However, 5GE — standing for 5G Evolution — really is just a rebranding of AT&T’s gigabit 4G LTE network. AT&T argues that the speeds are close enough to 5G, but it is technically not 5G. The G stands for generation, typically signaling a compatibility break with former hardware. 5GE does not follow this trend and is technically not 5G. This marketing strategy may mislead individuals who do not know 5GE is not actually 5G.
