Hello, future: The “5Gs” of 5th-generation wireless service
Jonah Losh, Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Unslpash.com
For years, the idea of the next-generation of wireless networks has been considered, and it looks like within a year the 5th-generation will be implemented, as Verizon and AT&T hope to offer it by the end of the year. Here are five things to note about the technology of the future.
1.) Goes further with better nationwide coverage
5G will be built with a projected 300,000 transmitters the size of pizza boxes, compared with the current network of 150,000 larger cell towers. With the current technology, data waves move fast but are often either slowed down or blocked completely by natural and man-made obstructions; there will be less room in between the more densely set transmitters for obstructions to occur, thus guaranteeing better coverage for people who live in between mountains or skyscrapers.
2.) Good speed�like, really good speed.
Mobile 5G wireless networks will be far faster than the current 4G LTE. This will enable better coverage and faster data-transfer speeds, so uploads and downloads will move at unprecedented rates. As internet TV and live-streaming online become more popular, with 5G users will see less buffer time. It is predicted that data speeds will be able to reach up to 76 times the average internet speed in the United States, 500 megabytes per second versus 6.5 MB. In real-world application, this means you could download a 100GB 4k movie in under 4 minutes.
3.) Growing internet of things
4G was built primarily for smartphones, but 5G will empower our ever-growing technological world, popularly called �the internet of things.� Self-driving cars, kitchen appliances, heart monitors, and virtual reality will be using the powerful 5G extensively because of its speed: data transfers will be fast enough to communicate information instantly to a self-driving car, for example.
4.) Great cost
According to Bloomberg, the cost to upgrade to 5G will be approximately $200 billion dollars per year. Will the internet of things be large enough by 2020 to make an immediate upgrade to 5G?
5.) Government sponsorship
This month, a government memo leaked the most controversial aspect of 5G. From the National Security Council, it concerns the nationalization of the next-generation of wireless networks. The memo projects a national 5G wireless network, called the modern version of Eisenhower�s national highway infrastructure, by 3 years. Many fear this �takeover�, but the memo only mentions controlling the more secure and reliable lower-frequencies, so other, private companies could potentially use higher (though less secure) frequencies.
United States government would lease 5G services to national carriers, called an �open-access� approach.
The Trump administration�s goal with a nationalized 5G infrastructure is to up national security against international espionage�specifically from China; which have already erected their own high-tech 5G network in which it subsidizes Chinese manufacturers. China is becoming a big issue as it races to get ahead of the world in technology. It remains ahead of the United States and other countries, nothing can stem continued espionage.
However, writer Fred Campbell of Forbes raises concern that governance is not the only or best way to solve the issue of international security. He says that it would be creating a monopoly that resembles China�s own government monopoly-of-everything, overriding America�s long standing conviction that competition is necessary for the survival of freedom and progress.
There is �extensive empirical data showing that open access regulation actually undermines incentives to invest in facilities-based competition.�
North Greenville University students have mixed reactions. Psychology major Drayton Henderson says that initially he was worried that 5G nationalization is just a step away from fascism, but believes that by leasing service to private companies, America would avoid such danger.
�I only hope that we do it for the betterment of mankind and not for the pride of our country,� he stated.
Musical Theatre student Breanna Jones is more concerned about the privacy implications of the combination of big government and the long arms of cellular service: �Our privacy is our right and should be respected. Often times safety is used as another word to describe control, which is exactly what that would turn into.�
In contrast, Landon Miller, a music education major, makes the point that the purpose of less regulations in a free market is to �make it easier for businesses to make money.�
�But if the government were to somehow set forth regulations that actually pushed technology forward for all of us without crushing competition and the other many important aspects of the free market, then a nationalized 5G network may not be so bad. However, that is one big �if�,� he concluded.
