StatePoint Media
By now, you’ve heard about 5G or might have access to it on your smartphone, but do you know what it is, how it works or what it can do for you?
5G is the next generation of wireless technology, building on its predecessors 2G, 3G and 4G, and is available on today’s smartphones to make and receive calls, run applications and send and receive data.
This fifth-generation technology is a massive leap into what is possible in wireless. 5G is expected to deliver faster speeds and enhanced connectivity, giving businesses and consumers alike the potential to develop and experience new, innovative technologies.
Photo: Aneta Pawlik/Unsplash
Under development as you read this are systems that will help farming become even more profitable through targeted weed and pest control, real-time soil moisture monitoring for irrigaton systems and livestock tracking. 5G opens the door wider for "precision farming" where farmers can react to real-time data to deliver just right about of water or fertilizer to a specific are in their fields. Feeding entire herd while on vacation will be as easy as a few swipes on a smartphone or watch.
In a decade or so from now, tilling, planting and harvesting will all be done from the comfort a farmer's command center in the shed or his or her home office thanks 5G and the automation of dozens of manual tasks. Hauling grain from the field to an elevator will be done by driverless trucks thanks to the significantly faster network speeds.
Here are five things you may not know about 5G:
1. 5G improves overall wireless coverage: 5G can deliver better, more efficient coverage in both breadth and depth. Depending on where it’s deployed by wireless operators, it can reach cities and towns that were previously lacking wireless access. Providers like T-Mobile are committed to providing 5G access to rural America, and already cover more than 287 million people across more than 1.6 million square miles.
2. Different types of 5G can support where you live: Providers deploy different levels of wireless spectrum – low, mid and high – with the ability to provide coverage and capacity whether you live in the city, the suburbs or a rural community. For 5G, low-band spectrum provides far-reaching coverage outside, and reaches indoors with speeds that are slightly better than LTE; mid-band provides blanket coverage across large areas with fast speeds, making it the “goldilocks” of spectrum; and, high-band – typically available in select urban areas – provides super-fast speeds over short distances, but needs line of sight to the device and doesn’t pass through physical obstructions.
3. 5G will create "smarter cities": From monitoring pollution or traffic levels to optimizing energy use or self-driving transportation, 5G can enable applications that urban cities and small towns alike can use to live smarter.
4. 5G unlocks technology developments for industry: With 5G connectivity, and new applications to support certain industries, businesses and industries can evolve to meet the needs of a connected world. Imagine farmers utilizing sensors and drones to enhance the agriculture community, or businesses using real-time language translation, or even enhanced location services to improve first responder times to save lives.
5. Virtual and augmented reality or holographic scenarios: 5G gives us the ability to transform where and how we experience our lives. Imagine having virtual reality access to live concerts and sports games, using holographic telepresence to be a part of your family’s birthday party in another state, or having real-time driving data like traffic or road conditions displayed on your car’s windshield as you drive.
The possibilities with 5G are endless and will offer individuals and businesses the ability to do and experience the world around them in ways they couldn’t before.
From 5G-enabled smartphones to the latest connected devices, check with your wireless provider to see how you can get the most out of 5G technology where you live.
