5G: What You Need to Know
Monday, October 19, 2020
The term “5G” has been a popular buzzword in the world of tech for many years now. This most recent development promises better than ever mobile data speeds that will rival your home WiFi, and may even allow for future-tech like self driving cars to become a reality.
5G was also a major headline in Apple’s most recent iPhone announcement, as all of the iPhone 12 models that Apple announced last week will have 5G capability.
5G is the next generation of cellular data technology that is rolling out across the country from all the major cell carriers. Right now, when we are using GPS in the car, or doing a google search on a street corner trying to find a restaurant, or even just texting a friend or family member from outside of our homes, we are using the “4G LTE” network. This was preceded by the “3G” cellular network, and “2G” was before that. 5G is the fifth and latest iteration of the same cellular network we all use everyday.
There are some technical differences between the ways that each carrier (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint) is rolling out their 5G network, but one thing they all have in common is that they’re still being built. There is a lot of marketing out there that would lead you to believe that 5G is available on every street corner in America, but the implementation of 5G is in the beginning stages for all of the carriers at this point. This means that even if you buy a new iPhone 12 with 5G capabilities, you won’t necessarily have access to the new faster network, as it may not be available in your area yet.
There are also a lot of misinformation and bizarre conspiracy theories about 5G. Many are wondering whether 5G signal is dangerous, or potentially hazardous to people’s health. The easy answer here is no, it is not. There are plenty of good resources that can go into this in far more detail, but nearly all of the scientific evidence we have (along with the Food and Drug Administration , the National Cancer Institute , and the American Cancer Society ) says that cellphone radiation does not pose a threat to humans.
Right now there is a lot of excitement around 5G. It will be a gigantic leap forward for cellular connectivity and mobile data speeds, and may unlock some future technologies that will change our world! Although it’s not yet fully ready for primetime it will be exciting to see what this new network can do to improve our lives.