Fifth generation wireless network technology has the potential to start the Fourth Industrial Revolution. But how does it work? For the answer, it’s important to see how mobile networks have evolved over the years, and how 5G is not only built on that foundation, but also creating new spaces.
How cell data travels today:
The data passes through the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes frequencies between 3 kilohertz (kHz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). The first four generations of mobile network technology operated in specific parts of the spectrum: 1G (frequency band between 850 MHz and 1,900 MHz), 2G and 3G (increased to 850 MHz to 2,100 MHz), and 4G (approximately 600 MHz to 2.5 GHz). ).
Why is all this important? In a word, speed.
The transition from analog to digital signals, combined with the higher frequency bands, dramatically increases the speed at which data can be downloaded. While the highest data download speeds on 1G networks are around 2.4kbps, 2G can be up to 50kbps, and 3G comes in at 2mbps on stationary devices and 384kbps on devices in cars or other moving vehicles. The fourth-generation wireless connectivity, 4G, which debuted in the 2000s and created the backbone for many of today’s most annoying innovations, is up to 500 times faster than 3G, with speeds of 100mbps for stationary objects and 10 mbps for moving.
This may be fast, but it doesn’t compare to the potential speed of 5G. Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, now available in parts of 35 cities across the country and counting, is the next name fast. 5G Ultra Wideband can bring higher data volumes than can be done on today’s LTE networks, and that bandwidth is crucial to the most innovative technologies of tomorrow.
What does it mean for consumers? The low latency of a 5G network — that is, the time it takes for a data packet to travel between two points — can dramatically change the way people interact with data. And this is increasingly necessary in a world that billions of devices will be online in the next few years.
Combined, low latency and high bandwidth allow faster upload and download speeds,How does 5G technology work? revealing a variety of potential benefits: people streaming 4K video in seconds, essentially seamless VR experience, advances in remote medicine, the prospect of adjusting traffic flow in real time, and more.
The potential of 5G is only limited by the imagination of innovators.
How does 5G technology work?
Verizon provides its 5G Ultra Wideband network with a number of components, including fiber optic cables, small cells and ownership of its extensive radio wave spectrum. A critical component of Verizon’s spectrum ownership is called the millimeter -wave spectrum, which refers to high -frequency bands — specifically, those in the 28 GHz to 38 GHz range. In this band of the spectrum, tomorrow’s boldest, latency -sensitive, and bandwidth -intensive innovations will be relied upon. Consider the millimeter wave spectrum as the widest and fastest road on the planet, with millions of trucks running a distance of one centimeter at an unbelievable speed - smoothly.
The latency piece cannot be underestimated. 4G networks now display latency and 30-150 milliseconds. 5G Ultra Wideband customers should expect latency to drop below 10 milliseconds.
Two important components of Verizon’s 5G development are small cells and fiber optic cables. The small cell is a transmitter, roughly the size of a laptop computer, that is strategically placed in locations that desire the highest use — such as in city centers, shopping centers, sports venues, and campuses.
Fiber-optic cables contain dozens to hundreds of optical fibers within a single casing, transferring data signals from the small cells to the core network at the speed of light. Massive amounts of data can travel hundreds of miles at blazing fast gigabit speeds, with super low single-digit millisecond latency — and Verizon is the first carrier in the industry to advance this fiber technology to a long-haul scenario.
The future will be determined by the movement of data. An estimated 20.4 billion devices — whether VR glasses, cloud gaming systems, IoT sensors or self-driving vehicles — are expected to be online by 2020, and all of them will demand heavy data on those networks. 5G can not only create these data-intensive applications, but has the potential to change the way data shapes our world.
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