5G: What Is It? How Much Faster Is It Than 4G? When Will It Launch In India?

5G is much faster than 4G, with peak data rates of up to 20Gbps and average data rates of over 100Mbps.

5G is coming to India soon. As the country’s top telcos participate in the ongoing 5G spectrum auction, there’s still a considerable number of citizens who don’t yet know what 5G actually is. Sure, it promises a much faster speed than the current 4G technology or the now-ancient 3G services. But, what does it mean in terms of broader, daily usage? In this article, let us take a deep dive into the world of 5G, understand what benefits it will provide, how it will help us transition into a world dominated by the metaverse, and most importantly, when can we expect a 5G rollout for the general public.

What is 5G? Who invented it?

The ‘G’ in 3G, 4G, and 5G refers to the generation of mobile network. So, 5G stands for fifth-generation mobile network. 

The creation of 5G cannot be attributed to a single individual or a company. However, as per chipmaker Qualcomm, “There are several companies within the mobile ecosystem that are contributing to bringing 5G to life.”

How does 5G work?

Before understanding how 5G operates, let us understand how wireless networks generally work. Composed of cell sites, wireless networks are divided into sectors that transfer data among themselves via radio waves. 4G technology uses high-power, large cell towers to transmit signals over long distances.

5G, on the other hand, uses multiple small cell stations that can be mounted on a regular rooftop or a lamppost. While 4G’s large-cell structure had more reach, 5G needs a number of small cell stations to be set up over short distances to ensure faster transfer of data through radio waves. 5G uses millimeter wave (mmWave) to transmit data, which uses a band of radio spectrum between 30GHz and 300GHz. To put it simply, this ensures a much faster transfer of data, alongside offering a better capacity when compared to previous generations. 

So, just how much faster is 5G? 

As per American network operator Verizon, this is how data transfer speed evolved over generations: 

1G: 2.4Kbps
2G: 50Kbps
3G: 2Mbps
4G: 100Mbps
5G: 20Gbps

Keep in mind that these are broad speeds each generation was able to provide. The actual usage speed will differ from one service to another, depending on region of operation. 

What advancements did each generation bring? What will 5G bring to the table?

The 1G technology came about in the 1980s, and it delivered only analogue voice. 

2G arrived in the early 1990s, introducing digital voice.

3G was rolled out in the early 2000s, which was around the time most people generally started using mobile phones in India, and it brought along mobile data.

4G was launched in the 2010s, bringing about the age of mobile broadband.

5G, when it is rolled out to the public, will offer greater speeds, more reliability, and nearly unnoticeable latency. For those unaware, latency is the time taken for data to pass from one network point to another. Low latency is incredibly important for a lot of sectors, most specifically online gaming or eSports. 

How is 5G better than 4G?

As per Qualcomm, 5G uses a bit of all spectrum — from below-1GHz to mmWave — enabling a wide range of use cases. 

5G is also faster than 4G with peak data rates of up to 20Gbps and average data rates of over 100Mbps. 5G will also enable a hundred-time increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency, alongside offering a real-time access to data owing to 1ms end-to-end latency.

What impact will 5G have?

The Internet is slowly moving towards Web3 technology, and along with it, the virtual world is preparing to exist solely on the metaverse. For those unaware, the metaverse is a concept that will see the Internet transform into a single universal world supported by virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). With 5G speeds and connectivity, users will be able to access the metaverse and all its services almost seamlessly.

For eSports, 5G’s low latency and high speeds will make mobile gaming a much smoother experience, bolstering a rapidly growing industry.

Apart from the above, 5G will generally make Internet usage on the mobile a faster, smoother experience. It will also lead to better network coverage and lesser call drops thanks to its increased capacity. 

Finally, when will 5G roll out in India?

One the 5G auction wraps up, 5G services are expected to roll out in India from August-September onwards. Telcos such as Jio, Airtel, and Vi have already set up 5G trial sites in Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune, and Gandhinagar.

However, it can be expected that a broad rollout will only happen in 2023. Minister of Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said in an interview with ANI, “5G will be ready to deploy in March 2023.”