5G vs. 4G: What’s the Difference?

What is 5G?

5G stands for fifth-generation technology in wireless communication, coming after the 4G networks we use today. It's faster, has lower latency, can handle more devices at once, and improves overall connectivity.

The Rollout of 5G

5G is being rolled out, but it's been slower than expected. How well 5G works can vary a lot depending on where you are and which service provider you use.

Key Points
5G is the latest in wireless tech, succeeding 4G, and it's a big step forward in speed, latency, capacity, and connectivity.
The rollout of 5G is ongoing but slower than anticipated, with varying performance by region and provider.
5G is faster and has lower latency than 4G, which benefits online gaming, video calls, IoT devices, and industry digitalization.
Businesses are using 5G to improve communication, IoT setups, and efficiency in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics.

5G vs. 4G: What’s the Difference?

Mobile networks have three main parts:

Core Network: The center of the network, connecting calls and services to users.
Radio Access Network: Uses antennas to connect devices via radio waves.
Transport Network: Connects the radio access network to the core network.

After 3G, 4G made a big jump in how we stream videos and make calls on our phones. It boosted the quality by packing more cells into the network and increasing bandwidth.

But with more people using data-heavy apps, 4G hit its limit on how fast it can handle data.

That’s where LTE (Long Term Evolution) came in as a part of 4G, laying the groundwork for 5G. While both 4G and LTE were good at handling different types of data, 5G is meant to take things further.

5G works by using higher radio frequencies, which lets it handle more data at faster speeds, with less lag and less congestion. We started seeing 5G rollouts in the late 2010s, but network operators are still building out the infrastructure to make it fully available.

mmWave Spectrum

The key difference between 4G and 5G lies in the type of frequency waves they use. 4G mainly operates on lower-frequency waves, whereas 5G taps into a wider range, including higher-frequency millimeter waves. This lets more devices connect in the same area without slowing down the network.

The millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum has weaker signals that can’t travel far, so network operators have to put up more small-cell base stations for 5G to make sure the signal reaches users over the needed distance.

Using small cells helps 5G carriers provide more network coverage and capacity, which is super useful in crowded cities where lots of devices are fighting for a good signal.

While 4G supports about 4,000 devices per square kilometer, 5G can handle around a million

How Fast is 5G? Understanding Low Latency

The main difference between 4G and 5G is how much faster 5G responds, with a latency of under 5 milliseconds, compared to 4G’s latency of over 30 milliseconds. Speed is also a big deal, with 5G aiming for download speeds up to 10Gbps, while 4G typically reaches around 1Gbps in speed tests.

The biggest difference between 4G and 5G is how much faster and responsive 5G is. While 4G has a latency (the delay before a transfer of data begins) above 30 milliseconds (ms), 5G brings that down to under 5 ms. This means quicker responses and smoother experiences.

Speed and Performance

5G isn’t just about low latency; it’s also incredibly fast. It aims for maximum download speeds of 10Gbps, a huge jump from 4G’s 1Gbps. This speed boost is crucial as more people stream high-quality videos and use various online services, creating more data traffic every year.

Everyday Benefits

With lower latency, you get stable connections and almost instant responses from websites and apps. This is great for online gaming and video calls, which will feel more seamless. It also opens up new possibilities for smart devices and industrial automation.

Industrial Applications

For industries, 5G’s low latency and high speeds are game-changers. They enable the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and remote control of heavy machinery. Advanced 5G networks can support smart cities, better infrastructure management, and data-heavy industries.

New 5G Technologies

5G introduces technologies like orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which splits wireless signals into different channels to avoid interference. Network slicing allows multiple virtual networks to operate on the same physical infrastructure, optimizing performance.

Enhanced Processing Power

5G’s processing power lets it act as a distributed data center, using centralized resources or edge computing to handle tasks. This can improve performance and save battery life on devices like AR glasses by handling intense processing tasks, such as gaming or AR filters.

Overall, 5G is set to revolutionize how we use the internet, making everything faster and more efficient.

How Businesses Use 5G

Businesses are using 5G to boost their operations in the real world. With better communication and new IoT devices, 5G offers opportunities for greater efficiency and productivity. Industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics are finding innovative ways to use 5G.

Experts say 5G can handle tasks that would be tougher or less effective with 4G or Wi-Fi, such as factory automation, large-scale video surveillance, remote surgery, smart cities, and self-driving cars.

Real-World Examples

Bosch: Uses 5G for precise positioning tech in factories, tracking devices where GPS doesn’t work.

Boliden: Uses 5G-connected automated drill rigs in mines, allowing for more efficient operations and fewer staff.

Ford: Trials autonomous vehicles and VR applications using 5G for better data management and AI processing.

Bosch:

Bosch, a German manufacturing company, teamed up with Nokia to create a 5G-based precision positioning system. They use it in their factory in Germany to track devices and equipment where GPS doesn't work, like inside buildings or underground. This private 5G network helps Bosch monitor things like automated vehicles and robots, showing their exact location and movements in real time.

Boliden:

Boliden, a Swedish mining company, uses 5G-connected automated drill rigs in their Aitik copper mine. These rigs follow preset paths and do repetitive tasks on their own. They have cameras, so if they need to do something new, an operator can control them remotely. This automation increases working hours from 5,000 to 7,000 hours a year and allows drilling to continue after blasts, which create toxic gases, without putting humans at risk. This system saves Boliden about €2.5 million every year.

Ford:

Ford tested autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) in their Valencia factory in Spain, using technology from Ericsson. These AGVs can recognize human gestures, manage fleets, and use virtual reality applications. They use edge computing, which processes data close to where it's generated, making it faster and more efficient for handling images and video streams used in AI processing.

5G Expectations vs. Reality

Even though 5G was hyped up, the global rollout and adoption haven't gone as smoothly as planned.

Currently, there are 145,917 5G deployments across 233 operators worldwide, according to recent data.

Different regions have faced issues like regulatory challenges and high infrastructure costs, slowing down progress. One major problem has been finding large, uninterrupted blocks of spectrum for 5G networks.

The Covid-19 pandemic also delayed spectrum license auctions. In the UK, there were further delays because the government decided to replace Chinese hardware for security reasons.

In the US, AT&T and Verizon had to pause 5G rollouts near airports because the FAA warned about possible signal interference.

Now that the pandemic-related delays are easing and digitalization is speeding up, 5G availability is finally starting to increase.

The Bottom Line

5G is rolling out worldwide and should be more common soon. But getting 5G everywhere like we have with 3G and 4G might take a while.

For 5G to be everywhere, we need to tackle some issues with building the right infrastructure, dealing with regulations, and advancing the technology. When fully adopted, 5G will make our world more connected and efficient, offering faster speeds and lower delays. This will improve how we use all sorts of internet-connected devices and apps. As 5G becomes more common, the gap between its potential and what’s actually available will get smaller, leading us into a new era of mobile communication.