5G is the fifth generation of mobile networks. It is a great evolutionary leap in relation to the current mobile internet, known as 4G. We know that some mobile operators in Brazil today use the so-called 4.5G internet, which is nothing more than the 4G network itself, maximized to improve speed, but still very far from what the 5G network will be.
The 5G network is being developed to handle the growing volume of information exchanged daily by billions of wireless devices spread around the world.
5G is the next evolutionary step for wireless broadband. Its mission is to greatly increase the potential of today's 4G network, boosting mobile broadband to very high standards in connection speeds and the number of simultaneous users.
5G networks promise their future users wider and more efficient coverage, higher data transfers, and significantly more simultaneous connections.
The 4th generation networks currently in use in some regions of Brazil are capable of delivering an average connection speed of approximately 33 Mbps. It is estimated that the new 5G mobile network will be able to deliver speeds 50 to 100 times greater, reaching up to 10 GBPS.
The new 5G network promises to deliver better coverage, significantly faster speeds, and enable responsive devices that remain constantly connected to each other.
While smartphones are likely to be the main devices that will be connected to 5G, they are far from the only devices that will use this network.
It is expected that tablets, laptops, tvs, media centers, autonomous cars, drones, virtual reality headsets, wearables (clothing accessories such as wristwatches, bracelets, glasses, belts, and jackets), and smart city infrastructures will all play a role in our collective 5G future. In other words, 5G technology will enable the internet of things to be enabled and spread around the world.
The network was expected to arrive in 2020, however, with the certification of the first official 5G specification from 3GPP in 2017, operators around the world are currently preparing to build and deploy 5G networks as early as 2019.
The first cities served by the technology, starting in the second half of 2018, are Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento in the United States. To attract consumers, carrier Verizon is offering free installation, three months of complimentary service, and amenities such as a three-month subscription to the YouTube streaming service. For customers of the carrier, the prices are $50, for new consumers, $70. The modems with 5G internet access have connection speeds between 300 mbps (megabits per second) and 1gbps. This type of service today is only possible through fiber optics, a more expensive structure that is difficult to access in some regions.
The first commercial tests of the 5G network in Brazil should happen as early as the second half of 2019, the expectation is that it will be through the Chinese manufacturer Huawei. The company reports that there is already in the current market a race by operators to modernize local networks, which is something essential for the massive deployment of 5G.
In the first moment, we are not talking about massive tests or in large cities. The beginning will be in small and medium-sized cities, where there is less interference at the signal frequencies. These tests will be expanded and new deployments will occur as the frequency is cleared to receive 5G.
The device manufacturers are preparing to make available to consumers in general, devices that use the 5G network, so the technology should be consolidated in developed countries and in Asia, still this year. But in Brazil we will have to wait for bureaucratic issues involving legislation to be resolved so that in 2020 the 5G technology begins to be available in specific and restricted locations in the country.