How 5G will change the way we browse the web on our phones
2019 will be the year fifth generation mobile networks (5G) will be introduced to the world and promising to dramatically increase mobile internet speeds. 5G will also improve calling and texting as 5G covers every aspect of mobile networks. As with 4G, EE will be the first UK network provider to introduce 5G to customers. EE plan to turn this service on in mid-2019 for London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester. Countries such as China, South Korea and Japan claim they will have 5G available by the start of 2019 – but this seems very optimistic.
History of mobile internet
First generation mobile networks (1G) were introduced back in 1980 and could only carry voice via analogue signals. The 90’s introduced second generation mobile networks (2G), radio signals on 2G were digital therefore allowing networks to provide more services such as SMS (text messages), picture messages and MMS (multimedia messages). The early 2000s saw 3G released to the world allowing for services such as mobile data and video calling. Around the same time smartphones were introduced, most notably the iPhone, which created a huge demand for 3G services. 4G came next around 10 years later with the main benefits including faster internet speeds making activities such as online gaming and video streaming more reliable.
5G possibilities
Roll onto 2019 and 5G will likely be a huge game changer for the way we use our mobile phones. The benefits for customers will be much faster speeds compared to current 4G networks. Currently, 4G offers peak speeds of 300mbp/s on high-speed tariffs, 5G promises speeds in excess of 1000mbp/s with some estimating peak speeds of 10Gb/s – which quite frankly is impressive. This will become far superior to home broadband speeds. To put it into perspective you could download five standard definition movies in a second or one full HD movie in 10 seconds.
Like with 4G it’s unlikely 5G will become the standard for at least 2 years because of many possible factors. EE will be the first to introduce the service in the UK however it may take other networks longer to make it available to their customers. Even networks that do supply 5G most likely won’t be able to cover every part of the country, especially in rural areas. There are many areas in the UK where the basic analogue signal is still unavailable. It’s expected that to upgrade to a 5G plan will cost you more money and based on when 4G was released it will not be cheap.
Also, remember if you plan to upgrade to 5G you will have to invest in a 5G compatible phone. Currently, there are none available however many manufacturers have models confirmed to launch in 2019.
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Here at Blue Whale Media, we pride ourselves in keeping up with current technologies and trends. Keep reading our blogs to stay up to date with what’s coming in 2019.