5G: The Next Generation of Mobile Cellular Technology

“First let me take a selfie”. The Chainsmokers song might be on the fence in terms of quality, but what was also noticeable is how everything on the digital universe is so instantaneous. Ever since the breakthrough of the Internet, the questions are always, how fast can I download this song, how fast can I load this video and how fast can I deliver gigabytes worth of files to my peer over in the US. Well, the dawn of the 5G era would make everything so fast that the term ‘mobile internet speed’ will be rendered obsolete!

What exactly is a 5G?

To be exact, the nature of the 5G is much similar of its predecessor. The 3G and the 4G are mobile cellular technology that helped shaped a large portion of today’s wireless communication; basically the text messages that you’ve been texting your boyfriend/girlfriend are engineered by it. Yes and that is pretty much it, the only thing that separates the 5G from the rest is how insane the speeds are, and that alone makes it a paramount design to the digital era that has been begging for uninterrupted latency and speed.

Just how fast is the 5G?

We think the perfect way to measure its capabilities is to weigh it with its closest heritage, the 4G. Tom’s Guide wrote “5G is already up to 10 times faster than 4G in our testing”. This really sends a message though. Imagine this, with this tech, the term ‘buffering’ or ‘loading’ online technically does not exist! The infamous reason to break and slam things due to internet latency will be a dead meme in which the Internet of Things (IOT) is so immaculate and smooth.

While we can’t confirm the speed tests to be 100% accurate, but what we do know that it is significantly faster than the 4G and it can shape or reshape industries that are reliant on the digital world.

The impact of 5G on industries

It is almost safe to say that all industries are able to capitalize on the 5G technology. Be it gaming, online retail or the educational field, the speed luxury that the 5G provides make what is impossible in the past possible now. The biggest winner here would arguably be the implementation of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Yes, we’re moving closer to Iron-Man territory and Tony Stark gizmo might seem doable. In all seriousness, mobile gaming will be entering a new age and developers will be seeking to implement the AR and VR into their projects. Quite possibly we will be seeing Candy Crush being played in real-time!

Retail on the other hand, will take its user interaction to the next level through AR and VR shopping. For instance, shopping would be so digitalised that dressing rooms itself might be converted through VR; a feat where China is already experimenting. Financial transactions will also be more convenient and quick where banks and institutions can operate at much seamless way. As such, not only is the entertainment industry affected but business operations are also enhanced to a degree where human error and effort are neutralised.

Gadgets that you can own that utilises the 5G and what to expect

Mobile phones would probably be the most obvious candidate to fully utilise the 5G. Well that is relatively true, as most services and programs are being moved to mobile apps and smartphones are ubiquitous. Hence, with the super-speed connectivity that the 5G is providing, more contents can be integrated into the app for loading and update latency are removed from the equation; update and loading speed for your app would also probably be non-existent.

Then again it doesn’t mean that smartphones will be the sole user of the 5G, for we believe that there are other appliances that can be enhanced through the wonders of the 5G. For instance, the recently announced GoPro might in the future integrate 5G into their device. This can potentially be a huge breakthrough where streamers can vlog so much easier with viewers viewing with absolute zero latency (yes we know, buffering is one hell of a gear grinder). Adrenaline junkies can also record their extreme sports with perfect ease like rock and mountain climbing as the coverage of the 5G is wider than the 4G where it can also transfer data in rural areas.

Smart TVs have been around for quite some time and with the 5G, it can only get better. Movie streaming will be smoother and clearer as there is lesser noise in the frequency waves. The recently introduced myTV is a fine example on how TVs have evolved and their functionalities have eclipsed over the traditional ‘idiot’ box.

Final Thoughts

At first glance, the 5G seems similar to the 4G or even 3G and the difference is only speed. However if we dive deeper, the change in speed gives birth to a lot of new potential discoveries. The fact that we’re approaching the point where there is zero latency in our internet connection, the inventions and frameworks that are impossible in the past might actually come to fruition in the coming years.

Author: Kelvin Teh