There are so many myths surrounding 5G networks that it is difficult for an ordinary person to understand whether to enjoy new technologies or go buy a foil hat. Let's try to understand specific examples.
The new fifth-generation wireless standard, known as 5G, is now widely discussed even by people far removed from the world of high technology, often not in terms of technology's triumph. For some reason, many people are still fond of anti-scientific rumors about the harm of cellular communications and are ready to sign petitions to ban 5G. There is no medical or scientific evidence for these myths.
Arguments in favor of these myths usually lead a sensible person only to think about how badly the secondary education system works in our country if it cannot instill in a person essential critical thinking.
Another problem is that even people who don't believe in the "harm" of 5G networks don't quite understand why they are needed. At one time, public pressure led to the 3G theme moving from the technological to the political plane. About the same story happened with 4G in a few years. Both new standards came to Ukraine much later than to most developed countries.
And now the same story is repeated with 5th generation networks. Citizens are not very interested in this topic, so the pressure on politicians is minimal. People do not understand why 5G networks are needed in If the usual 4G connection allows you to watch videos in Full HD at least at the tram stop. Therefore, people do not "make noise" about 5G and do not provoke the government to take more decisive and effective steps to implement it.
This article will give examples of how the 5G standard can be really effective and why we should make every effort to make it appear in Ukraine sooner.
Incredible speed
Samsung became one of the first manufacturers of smartphones with 5G modules. While some competitors, including the most "innovative" companies on the market, are just preparing for this, most of Samsung's current models released in 2020 have 5G versions for countries where such networks already exist.
By choosing both mid-range models and flagships, you can be sure that you are now ready for the arrival of 5G. In a direct comparison of 4G and 5G, the difference in speeds is just huge. Suffice it to say that the theoretical peak speed in 5G networks can reach 10 gigabits per second, which is 100 times higher than in 4G networks.
4G capabilities are barely enough to play online "tanks" fully, and 5G capabilities are enough to provide "seamless" connections between virtual reality devices, autonomous cars on the road, remote work surgeons, etc.
If we go from abstract numbers to real ones, we can illustrate the speed difference with a simple example. With any 5G smartphone, you can download a movie in Full HD resolution in about 10 minutes, which would take 50 minutes to download on current networks.
Also, the 5G standard has fewer delays, i.e., pauses between sending and receiving information on the device. For 4G networks, this delay averages 200 ms, which is only slightly below the threshold at which the human brain begins to notice it (250 ms).
At the same time, the 5G standard has a delay of only 1 ms. This parameter is even more important than the download speed because it depends on the sensitivity of systems that depend on network data transmission.
4G capabilities are barely enough to play online "tanks" fully, and 5G capabilities are enough to provide "seamless" connections between virtual reality devices, autonomous cars on the road, remote work surgeons, etc.
5G slicing
We must not forget about such a phenomenon as 5G-slicing (slicing) - it is about "cutting" the network into segments, sharpened for certain tasks. This task can be to create connections for certain types of devices.
For example, you can create network segments with special encryption for secure data transfer of banking applications. Or with access speed limits for low-traffic customers (such as the Internet of Things) and high-priority traffic for streaming services. For example, hospitals may have a network with high priority traffic for operating and hospital staff and low priority for visitors.
In September this year, Samsung conducted joint tests with KDDI in the Japanese capital Tokyo network. The possibilities of creating numerous segments, which are, in fact, virtual networks that simultaneously operate within a single 5G physical network, were demonstrated.
Private networks
In September of this year, Samsung introduced a unique solution for deploying small cell networks and coverage of large buildings. The answer is called Link Cell; it allows you to deploy a local 5G network for large indoor spaces. For example, these can be large manufacturing plants, hotels, shopping malls, and even stadiums.
Deploying 5G networks requires more base stations than previous generation networks. Therefore, it is somewhat more difficult to cover large areas and provide a decent connection speed inside large buildings with many internal partitions.
Using Link Cell, owners of large buildings can expand 5G networks and cover even large buildings. Link Cell also allows you to create your own 5G networks for internal corporate needs. For example, such networks are already being set up at large manufacturing plants and logistics centers. Closed networks are needed to ensure the security of valuable data. If the network has no access to the outside world, then the probability of remote hacking of such a network is zero.
The Link Cell itself is a compact "cabinet" with a capacity of fewer than 4 liters, including a processor, radio module, and antenna.
Samsung's first Link Cell partner will be US cellular operator Verizon. Its staff has already begun testing 5G networks for large buildings using Link Cell.
5G is far from the limit
Strange as it may sound, one of the most important arguments in favor of introducing 5G networks as soon as possible is their aging. While we are just preparing for 5G, scientists and engineers are already actively developing 6G networks.
According to Jinh-Kiu Khan, Samsung's vice president of new standards, in the future, the main consumers of traffic in communication networks will not be people, but robots and other machines. So far, it isn't easy to imagine how much access speeds should increase to meet the needs of an entire army of machines.
However, Samsung does not believe that new networks should be sharpened only for general robotics needs. "People will start actively using virtual reality, for the operation of which it will be necessary to remove any restrictions on data transfer speeds," explains Khan.
The faster the world steps up to 5G, the faster the next wireless standard will develop.