7 Reasons to be Excited for 5G Cell Tower Networks
Posted by Greg Knell on 3rd Jan 2020
5G Cell Tower Networks Summary
- Fast 5G Data Speed
- Shorter Signal Range
- Quick 5G Latency
- Limited 5G Signal Penetration
- Better 5G Cell Tower Aesthetics
- 5G Enabling Deep IoT Networks
- 5G Cell TowerTechnology Is Continuing To Grow
The hype over the inevitable release of 5G cell tower networks is well deserved. Particularly when you consider that these telecommunication sites are expected to provide data speeds 10-25 times faster than your current 4G phone.
And that’s only one of the benefits.
Though 5G cell tower networks will require cell phone signal boosters to extend coverage to provide in-building cellular connectivity, this is already a widespread practice with current 4G networks. The difference is in the performance of 5G signals, which will change the way we work and play everyday.
Let’s just say you should be VERY excited.
This article goes through the 7 main aspects of 5G cell tower networks. All of which should heighten your anticipation of this amazing technology.
1. Fast 5G Data Speed
The lightning-fast speeds of 5G will have a huge impact on our daily lives. And that includes work as well as gaming. While current 4G cell tower networks offer speeds of up to 40mbps, early 5G adoptions have shown the potential for speeds of more than 1gbps (1000mbps).
Work on the Go
At these blazing fast speeds, the reality of the cloud as we know it will be drastically upgraded.
There are tasks in the workplace that have long required the physical presence of a person. Even in modern tech spaces, this is often the case. The incredible speed of 5G will allow many of these tasks to be completed anywhere.
Such data rates will truly allow professionals in many fields to no longer be geographically limited to an area. Being virtually present anywhere in the world will no longer have the limitations currently associated with it.
It will open up the door for more professions to effectively enter the freelance economy.
Game-Changing Download Speeds
Here’s an example to give you an idea of the download speeds that will soon be possible with 5g cell tower networks.
Adobe is moving into cloud and mobile compatibility with their new Cloud file types. Right now, files can take over 10 minutes to download on a mobile phone or laptop. With 5G, this will be nearly instant, allowing professionals to work and collaborate seamlessly from the cloud without needing to be at their desks.
2. Shorter Signal Range
Right now, 4G cell towers exist approximately every 20 miles in most populated areas. Some areas have fewer towers than others. Or the ones they have are further than 20 miles apart. This is why you often have areas of bad receptionwhere you wouldn’t think it should be.
5G cell tower networks will similarly have the same pros and cons. With 5G signals having a greatly reduced range, 5G cell towers will exist, in theory, on roughly every block. Or close to it. This means that while affluent cities will see decent 5G coverage, sub-urban and rural environments will feature many more 5G "dead-zones" where phones will need to default back to 4G signals.
Though this potential reality has sparked some controversy, it’s likely that the general population will quickly become privy to the huge benefit this brings to their lives. Particular to those who are used to living with subpar reception because of the area they live in.
Not only will cell towers be more plentiful and provide better service across the board, there will also be something else. Designated pockets of 5G “hotspots” in cities where strong, fast signal is guaranteed. Guaranteed isn’t a word we usually associate with cell phone signals.
With 5G, that will change.
3. Quick 5G Latency
Even the casual gamer is (unfortunately) familiar with latency. It refers to how much time it takes for your device or console to communicate with the server and then back again. It’s sometimes called ping. It’s simply a reality of modern gaming that gamers must endure.
Not for long. Soon, latency will be a thing of the past.
When every split second means the difference between winning or losing, the competitive gaming industry will see a boost as 5G decreases latency down to nearly nonexistent levels. Particularly mobile gaming where skill and reaction time will become the chief arbiters of your success rather than your network's moment to moment lag.
Mobile Gaming
5G will to a lot more for gaming than simply allowing you to upgrade your hotspot. With phones being able to handle increasingly demanding games once reserved for desktop computers, mobile games have been yearning for network technology to keep up with powerful smartphone devices. 5G technology will do exactly that and more.
With incredible speeds and latency, it’s expected that 5G will allow cloud, streaming, and subscription-based to disrupt the gaming industry even more than it already has. Similar to the way Netflix did. And by disrupt, we mean change for the better.
Everything about gaming will more convenient, faster, and better in virtually every way.
4. Limited 5G Signal Penetration
5G wavelengths are going to have a more difficult time penetrating buildings and other material. But this isn’t necessarily a negative thing. We’ll explain.
There’s a particular reason why 5G has so much more potential than 4G, 3G, etc. It’s because it operates at a higher frequency and uses a much wider spectrum. The higher the frequency, the harder it is to penetrate material.
So, if there are no structural impediments, you will say hello to the fastest download speed you’ve ever seen. But if you’re inside of a building and need a signal (over 80% of data usage happens indoors), you’ll need some to help tapping into the amazing 5G cell tower network.
This means that buildings who want to utilize 5G technology will need a signal booster of some kind. It’s suspected that this will represent a substantial installation movement as companies install 5G signal boosters in every room of every building that desires indoor 5G connectivity. With the help of these cell phone signal boosters, everyone in the building will have full access to the wonders of 5G.
5. Better 5G Cell Tower Aesthetics
We mentioned in the introduction that many of these new 5G cell towers have already been installed. You may have even noticed some of them while driving through your neighborhood.
They have a cylindrical shape and feature much smaller antennas than most of the cell phone towers that you’re familiar with. Most of them are black in color though some are silver.
The reason that they’re smaller than cell towers of the past is that they use a higher wavelength than 4G and 3G. This calls for a slightly different construction.
Fortunately, smaller cell towers means they won’t be quite the eyesore that their larger predecessors sometimes are.
6. 5G Enabling Deep IoT Networks
The technological upgrade that 5G brings to the table is far-reaching. And one of the things that it reaches is artificial intelligence.
We don’t necessarily mean robots like you’re probably thinking. What we’re specifically referring to are large-scale & centralized M2M networks. M2M is an acronym for machine-to-machine.
With 5G, this kind of communication will now condense around an AI framework. This basically means that M2M technology will improve significantly. For example, here’s a potential scenario of what we mean:
You live in a home with smart technology. When you wake up, the smart tech detects that you're awake and out of bed. It activates the coffee maker in your kitchen. Using your purchase history, it blends your favorite coffee. When it detects you're getting close to leaving, it starts your vehicle up for you and turns on the warm air inside it.
All made possible by the upcoming 5G network.
7. 5G Cell Tower Technology Is Continuing To Grow
Beamforming
5G is perfecting a lesser-used way of blasting signals from cell towers. Sometimes called spatial filtering, this is a signal processing technique used in sensor arrays for directional signal transmission or reception.
Uh, what?
Let us explain.
Most signal processing techniques simply shoot the signal out and hope that it sticks to as many devices as possible. Beamforming, on the other hand, is different. This technique is more precise.
It sends a signal in the precise direction of a receiving device in the form of a focused beam. With 5G's range and penetration limitations, beamforming will be critical in delivering those high performance but fragile signals to your devices intact. Faster and more reliable speeds are reached as a result.
MIMO
The acronym MIMO stands for multiple-input/multiple-output.
There are two different versions of MIMO. One is what is referred to as the standard version. The other is called massive MIMO. It’s this second version that enables 5G capability. But to understand the larger-scale version, you need to understand the smaller-scale one first.
MIMO technology helps distribute signals by way of antennas. Via many antennas located at both the destination and the source (aka receiver and transmitter), the capacity of both antennas is magnified. These antennas are linked which heightens efficiency and lowers error.
Massive MIMO simply implements this tech on a much larger scale. Ramping up the number of antennas and terminals from dozens to hundreds. Sometimes even thousands. Another thing is that all the antennas in massive MIMO are attached to a base station.
This allows the signal energy to be highly focused. It can target much smaller regions of space. This is called spatial focusing.
What does massive MIMO really mean for you in conjunction with 5G?
More and more people are using more and more smart devices with each passing year. The sheer number of “connected” devices go far beyond phones. Smart factories, driverless vehicles, 4K video, too name only a few. And it’s estimated that close to 6 billion people will own a mobile phone by 2020.
There absolutely has to be a network stronger than the one we currently use that can handle this future. MIMO will help 5G accomplish this.
5G Cell Towers as Manholes
As mentioned previously, in order for 5G to work, many small towers need to be built. But how can this be done efficiently, particularly in dense urban areas with buildings everywhere?
Manholes. The coming 5G revolution already has experts researching how to further use manhole covers as mobile communication antennas. In some areas, not just in the US, they’re already being used as 4G antennas. The advent of 5G is prompting studies into how to further utilize this ingenious idea.
Using them in this way could eliminate so many issues that are often raised about erecting 5G towers. No antennas placed on buildings awkwardly, traffic disruptions, or compromising the appearance of a neighborhood.
5G Cell Tower Networks: 7 Ways They Will Change Your Life - Conclusion
We live in a world where technological advances seem almost a daily occurrence.
5G is not only going to be one of them, but it’s going to be a big one. A breakthrough event. The quality of your life will be better. A lot better.
Learn more about 4G vs 5G differences here.