While this sounds impressive, it will take a lot of money and time to get this completed at scale. It will leap from six gigahertz (Ghz) on current networks to 300Ghz. The more bandwidth, the more users that can be on the network at once. So what exactly are we getting instead of 4G? The biggest change will be in so-called bandwidth (the capacity of a connection). The 4G network can be slow and in busy areas users can be crowded out as there simply isn’t enough bandwidth to accommodate everyone. We see elements of this on the current 4G network, even though using it is not as straightforward and quick as it could be. Your car routes and travel passes, your daily itineraries and interactions, and your spending and entertainment habits can all be tracked or planned with your devices facilitating it. Making this a reality will herald an ever-present, omniscient technology at everyone’s service. Often this is portrayed as people living “smart” lives in which everything is joined up – your PC, fridge, car, watch and house are all talking to each other to make your life run smoothly while providing data on your health and welfare. Perhaps the greatest opportunities, however, lie in how 5G will bring us closer to a fast-moving, real-time “internet of things”, or “IoT”, as it helps connect everything we use in our lives. The immediate investment universe, therefore, comprises the large incumbent telecoms network operators, the microchip makers, handset and device manufacturers, the network mast owners and builders, and many supporting businesses. Waves of digitisation will spread further than we have seen before and help the technology sector deliver on many of its promises to bring us greater connectivity. It seems certain to trigger fundamental changes across whole industries and sectors. Ignore this kind of furore and focus on 5G as a technology. And then there are unfounded fears that network radio masts are damaging to health and are even spreading Covid-19. The fuss over Chinese tech giant Huawei’s influence abroad is fuelling concerns about national security and cyberwarfare as well as the protection of intellectual property generally. For some the network has become an area of national rivalry between the US and China with each trying to win prestige with their rollouts and technical developments. More often than not, however, 5G seems to grab headlines and trend on social media for the wrong reasons. It is going to take communication to a whole new level, well beyond the current 4G, and it will change the way we live.
As for 5G, it’s the first network being built to serve much more than just phones and tablets. In recent years, 3G and 4G have been faster, more sophisticated versions of 2G.
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