What Is The Difference Between 4G and 5G |The Evolution of the Gs

Luxury or necessity? As long as technology and the internet have reached us to integrate them within every single part of our lives, it must be like oxygen; ubiquitous and necessary despite its invisibility. What advances mankind to such an era of telecommunication and wireless networking are data transmission and wireless communication technologies.

It has all to do with the way every successive internet generation has reshaped our world in terms of developing data-carrying capacity and decreasing latency. Now, countries are heading into offering 5G! This is the breathtaking future we are talking about right here. Then what is the difference between 4g and 5g?

What is Internet Generation?

Generations of the internet are the term introducing the timeline in which the internet is divided into generations based on, "processing mode used, the language used, technology used, system architecture and characteristics of each of the generations of internet. It is for real that we have lived with the evolution of the generations from 1G to 4G. Can't refer more to the shift in all structure, look and feel of the wireless devices where bigger facilities and better internet speed are not a joke.

Now, the 5G is on the cards and launched in a number of countries. So what is the difference between 4g and 5g?

What was 1G?

Whenever mentioned, it is referred to as "the Father of Wireless Technology". Also, it is the analog cellular networks where it all began in Japan as a voice-only network transmitting radio waves in analog form.

What does it mean?

Relying upon analog radio systems means that users could only make phone calls but not send or receive text messages.

It was revolutionary, but

• Has limited the number of users communicating wirelessly at a time.
• Showed severe sensitivity to other radio devices nearby.
• Could potentially be hacked because of the lack of encryption.
• Was of poor coverage and low sound quality.

1G was not used to identify wireless technology until they released 2G was. As a result, it was a major jump in the technology when the wireless networks went from analog to digital. Only then, they named the introductory generation as the first one.

The ‘Packet-Switching’ Revolution - 3G

The increased demand for mobile data and internet access had the growth in the data speed as the next improvemnt. Therefore, here comes the 3G technology. What distinguished this technology was:

• The standardized "data packets" driving web connectivity.
• 3 times faster network and data transmission.
• The use of packet switching rather than circuit switching for data transmission.
• The ability to send/receive large emails and texts.
• Providing fast web browsing, video streaming and VoIP services like Skype.
• More security.

This era has witnessed a set of powerful changes that made it possible for companies like Blackberry to see the light.

2G Made a Debut

The emergence of the second generation replacing the analog signal with digital one has made a clear improvement in terms of:

• Improved Security.
• Ability to send SMS, picture and multimedia messages (MMS).
• Clearer sound background.
• Maintaining mobile batteries for a longer time, for the digital signals used less power.
• Ability to experience the internet for the first time.

However, rural or less populated areas are not likely to experience such a network due to the lack of powerful digital signals. All these advancements have enthusiastically bridged to the rise of the 3G network.

4G: The Era of Streaming

The twilight dream of enjoying high-quality video streaming was no longer a dream with the 4G network. Its provision of fast mobile web access facilitated gaming services, HD videos and HQ video conferencing.

• 5 times faster.
• Offer connectivity for tablets and laptops as well as smartphones.
• Higher voice quality.
• Easy access to instant messaging services and social media.
• Quality streaming.
• Faster downloads.

Why such network is often referred to as MAGIC?

• M – Mobile multimedia.
• A – Anytime anywhere.
• G – Global mobility support.
• I – An Integrated wireless solution.
• C – Customized personal service.

After the 4G, we witnessed the 4G LTE. LTE stands for "Long Term Evolution", which has made a great difference in latency and, accordingly, increasing efficiency and speeds on the network. However, this technology has set forth some requirements, the most significant of which are mobile devices designed to support 4G.

What is 5G?

5G is the 5^th mobile generation network that provides virtual connectivity between everything around, including machines, objects and devices.

Why Do We Need 5G?

While most of the countries around the world do have full 4G LTE service with features of fast video conferencing and movie streaming the world, the 5G is now drawing in reality what is beyond imaginary. But, what is the difference between 4g and 5g?

• Higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds.
• Ultra-low latency *It is the time it takes for a cell phone (or other connected device) to make a request from a server and get a response.
• More reliability.
• Massive network capacity.
• Increased availability.
• Powerful management to extend battery life.

How Does 5G Work?

New radio frequencies, millimeter-wave technologies, are now considered as the path for signals to run over along with other vital equipment on cell towers. For building a 5G network, 3 bands of wavelength spectrums can occur:

1. Low-band network: Offering a wide coverage network passing more barriers with reliable signal both indoors and out.
2. Mid-band network: Indicating balanced speed and coverage with lesser impact by buildings.
3. High-band network: It is characterized by its super fast speeds enabling it to carry data in dense urban areas. Still, it requires the cell sites to be very close to each other, as signal struggles to move through hard surfaces.

How is 5G Better?

When exploring the diffference between 4g and 5g, the 5G is represented as a more capable and unified platform with more novel services, such as:

1. Contributing to the mission-critical communications and the massive IoT.
2. Supporting all spectrums types: licensed, shared, unlicensed.
3. Supporting all types of bands: low, mid, high.
4. Providing a wide range of deployment models from traditional macro-cells to hotspots.
5. Defining new ways to interconnect, such as device-to-device and multi-hop mesh.

What Does 5G Mean for You?

Well, you know that what makes the 5G network takes all that hype around is the speed of data transmission which in turn makes more potential to benefit everything from entertainment and gaming to education and public safety. Also, the real-time responses and enhanced connectivity bring about a wider world of innovation granting businesses and consumers the ability to experience new technologies: especially in the areas of virtual reality (VR), the IoT and artificial intelligence (AI). For example, more doors are wide open to avail from

• Cloud services.
• Multiplayer cloud gaming.
• Shopping with augmented reality.
• Real-time video translation and collaboration and more.

What Does 5G Mean for the Global Economy?

According to a 5G Economy Study conducted by Qualcomm, they come up with some numbered expectations regarding the significant impact the 5G network can bring to humanity by 2035:

• $13.2 Trillion dollars of global economic output

It is predicted for 5G to support a set of industries and be the first engine for the smooth provision of great products and services.

• 3 Million new jobs created

As a result, new jobs are open due to the 5G value chain which contains the need for OEMs, operators, content creators and app developers.

In Which Fields the 5G Can Be Used So Far?

The key areas and services that the 5G makes a great different in are:

• Enhanced Mobile Broadband: As previously stated, all the features of the 5G accelerate the road for new experiences to shine, such as VR and AR with faster, more uniform data rates, lower latency and lower cost-per-bit.
• Mission-Critical Communications: the 5G will take all industries into a further level where all can be controlled and linked remotely and reliably, such as critical infrastructure, vehicles and medical procedures.
• Massive M2M/IoT: the 5G future will speak virtually by connecting almost everything with embedded SIMs and sensors.
• Autonomous Vehicles: In the future, vehicles will communicate with each other on the road and give information to other vehicles about road conditions. Ultimately this kind of vehicle-to-vehicle communication could save thousands of lives.
• Public safety and infrastructure: 5G will be the way that quickens the delivery notification for departments when drains flood or streetlights go out. Consequently, actions are instantly taken.
• Health Care: Expect to see improvements in telemedicine, remote recovery, and physical therapy via AR, precision surgery, and even remote surgery in the coming years.

When to Welcome 5G Technology?

There are +35 countries that have already started using the 5G while the others are trying to roll out:

1. Japan and Korea started in 2013.
2. Samsung, Huawei, and Ericsson started prototype development in 2013.
3. Some locations in North America had the network in 2019.
4. In the US, Verizon 5G was the first carrier to roll out 5G.
5. In the UK, EE, Vodaphone, and O2 are actively deploying 5G since mid-2019.

Will You Need to Change Your Phone to Use 5G?

Indeed, it is expected for such a huge network to have compatible devices to be able to run it, for instance:

1. Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus.
2. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
3. OnePlus 8 Pro.
4. LG Velvet.

How Fast is 5G?

Seeing the difference between 4g and 5g, 5G tops out at 10 gigabits per second (Gbps). 5G is 10 to x100 faster than what you can get with 4G. What does make it this faster?

Well, it is known that the shorter the frequency, the larger the bandwidth. Therefore, the short millimeter waves between 30GHz and 300GHz and high-band 5G spectrum are behind not only the fast speed of the 5G but also the great capacity and quality.

Will 5G Replace WiFi?

Whenever a new network technology rises up, the future of Wi-Fi is once again put into question. But, 5G is not meant to replace or take over Wi-Fi, for both are more likely to complement rather than compete with one another in the near future. That is, 5G can be offered as an alternative option or a solution when we face slow performance of the Wi-Fi.

In meanwhile, we can't close our eyes on the fact that such a network is centered around major cities first. Thus, Wi-Fi and 4G/LTE remain the ideal choice for the rest of the world. Even in the biggest cities, Wi-Fi is driving its engine of development further by offering its newest generation, Wi-Fi 6, which is endorsed as 4 times better in dense, efficiency and environment.

Heard of the 5G+?

Well, the faster version of the 5G service, within the AT&T 5G locations, is called 5G+ which develops improved speeds, devices and overall coverage. Read The Guide prepared by "The Wave" covering information on what 5G is, which devices use the technology and the current list of the 5G locations.

What the Future Carries for Us?

It won't snore war between Wi-Fi and 5G, as the smartphones supporting the 5G and Wi-Fi only devices like tablets, entertainment systems and computer systems won't fade away or overlap. Rather, we will touch a widespread integration of all these technologies with the new eSIMs capable of wirelessly and virtually connecting almost everything to everything. Need to know more about the eSIM and how the future speaks its functionality? Visit Right from here.

Is 5G Safe? Worried About 5G's Health Effects? Don't Be 

People are panicked with the rumors around the safety of 5G, for they have linked the old fear about cellphone radiation risks and the new fears of the pandemic Coronavirus to the evolution of the 5G. Rumors are spreading among people about possible health effects of radiation's cause of brain cancer, reduced fertility, headaches in children and other illnesses.

However, the updated biological research and studies conducted by organizations including the World Health Organization, Public Health England and the UK Health Protection Agency made clear that the wavelength of the 5G doesn't produce enough energy to harm and damage the body's cells. The same is applied to the small 5G masts in built-up areas.

To Sum up, there is no link traced between this technology and your health.

Now It's Your Turn!

What do you expect for the next generations to be like? Will 6G provides ultra-fast internet access? Do you imagine how smart our homes and cities would look like? What if 7G would have granted space roaming and the world completely wireless? 0h!

Tell us what you have read about this technology or about the difference between 4g and 5g? Is it employed in your country or still not? Have you found this blog informative? please leave a comment in the box below. We'd also welcome any suggestions on how it could be improved or proposals for future articles.

We look forward to hearing from you.