What Is 5G?

Date First Published: 1st March 2024

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Data Transmission Technologies

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 4/10

CONTENTS

Benefits Of 5G
Uses Of 5G
Difference Between 4G and 5G

Learn about what 5G is in this article.

5G is the fifth-generation cellular data standard. It is the successor to 4G and enables a new type of network that is designed to connect most mobile phones. 5G is used across three main types of connected services, including enhanced mobile broadband, mission-critical communications, and IoT. 5G was introduced in July 2016 and saw its public release in 2019.

Benefits Of 5G

The benefits of 5G are:

Higher bandwidth - 5G has higher bandwidth to allow more data to be transmitted in a given period of time.
Lower latency of 5 ms to provide more real-time access.
More coverage - With 5G, coverage is becoming much wider and more reliable.
More capacity - 5G is designed to support a 100x increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency.
Enhanced mobile broadband.
Stronger security - With 5G, stronger security than 4G LTE is available for designers, including hardware security modules, key management services, over-the-air, secure elements and others.

Uses Of 5G

5G is used by both businesses and consumers for streaming high-quality video, more accurate location tracking, low-latency communication, fixed wireless services, and communication among devices in an IoT environment.

Due to higher bandwidth and lower latency, 5G has led to a growth in video traffic as mobile is becoming the source of media and entertainment. 5G has expanded mobile broadband to instant cloud access, local interactive content, and more IoT capabilities.

5G has had a great impact on businesses. The benefits of 5G have enhanced the efficiency of businesses, whilst also giving employees faster access to more information. The higher upload speeds will reduce the chances of data being lost during transmission and having to be resent. This will make it quicker and more efficient to share files with other users, improving productivity and efficiency.

Some businesses can make full use of 5G, depending on the industry. For example, smart factories could use 5G to run industrial Ethernet in order to help them increase operational efficiency, productivity, and precision.

Difference Between 4G and 5G

Each generation of cellular technology differs in terms of data transmission speed and encoding methods. The main difference between 4G and 5G is the level of latency and transmission speed. 5G is a more advanced technology that has much less latency, meaning that there is less delay between sending and receiving information. 5G is up to 10 times faster because 5G uses smaller wavelengths and much higher frequencies, which can support far more simultaneous connections than 4G.