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What’s the difference between LTE and 5G?

There has been much hype surrounding 5G, relentlessly for years. Now as part of a global rollout we see 5G available in most major cities as well as some towns and more rural areas. Soon enough, we’ll be using 5G just as we use 4G as the standard.

But 5G is still new to the wireless scene. And for some, the question is – Do we really need 5G when we’ve got LTE?

Many of us are still depending on long-term evolution technology. Indeed, there are only a few areas in the UK that don’t have any LTE presence.

What is LTE?

LTE was first launched back in 2009, and whilst it took a number of years to become part of our national connectivity fabric, it is still now a standard for wireless communications.

The reason for its staying power is down to its reliability and stability – Leading many wireless users to wonder if they even need to move over to 5G.

What is the difference between 4G LTE and 5G?

It was necessary to identify LTE as an element of the 4G standard as many telecoms companies weren’t actually able to provide 4G speeds due to infrastructure. The regulator ITU-R (International Telegraph Union Radiocommunication) established LTE as a standard to show the progress being made towards true 4G.

The download/upload speeds of a particular standard can be different in theory and in practise. Whilst in theory, 4G LTE can achieve data transfer speeds of up to 150Mbps for downloading content and 50Mbps for upload speeds, in practise is is more likely to be 20Mbps and 10Mbps respectively.

These figures will vary depending on:

  • Location
  • Network deployment
  • Traffic

How does 5G compare to 4G LTE in terms of download speeds?

5G connectivity offers theoretical download speeds of up to 10Gbps. A pretty staggering difference! Of course in practise, it may not reach this, but even real-world examples seem to still be dwarfing the speeds of 4G LTE.

Why does 5G reach higher speeds?

5G uses a different spectrum to 4G – Called mmWave which are high-frequency bands. The higher speeds are mostly reached because these high frequency bands support more bandwidth than the ones that LTE uses. This means that more data can be transferred at once.

5G can also use frequencies above low-band but lower than 6GHz. Despite these not supporting the highest possible speeds, they will still outclass 4G LTE. It’s worth noting that 5G coverage could be further expanded by using connectivity below 6GHz, especially as walls and surfaces can block mmWave frequencies.

Basically, 5G uses a different spectrum to 4G LTE and thus:

  • Delivers stronger, faster connections
  • Has a higher capacity for traffic
  • Has low latency (1ms)

Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it! It’s worth remembering that the rollout of 5G is still in its infancy, and therefore coverage is still limited. Before the big networks like EE, Three and Vodafone can deliver the top scope of what 5G has to offer, more work needs to be done.

So should we be choosing LTE or 5G?

As with most techy things, there are lots of factors, such as:

  • Your budget
  • Where you’re based
  • What your connectivity needs are – Personal or business

The more countries adopt and expand their 5G infrastructure, the more 5G-friendly hardware we will start to see. The best way to know whether to choose LTE or 5G is seeing what is on the market and whether it meets your needs.

You may find that some of the 5G devices available don’t have a 4G alternative. You may also find that they are rather on the pricey side! So definitely shop around.

Of course, the more 5G devices we see on the market, the more we will see the prices start to come down. So the time for adopting 5G over LTE may not be quite yet. Patience could also serve you more of the promises 5G has to offer – The more the 5G coverage continues to expand, the higher the speeds and the more consistent the connection to mmWave networks.

Since 2019, we’ve seen prices start to come down as competition in the market starts to heat up, but 5G is still costly. If you have a big budget then you could just go for it now, but we feel like the overall coverage, packages and prices will continue to rapidly improve. We’re inclined to hold out a bit longer and stick to LTE for the time being.

What about 5G for business?

If your business relies on heavily on connected sensors and other similar IoT networks then 5G may be the network you’ve been waiting for. The bandwidth and low latency that 5G could bring to your business cannot be easily ignored.

Think driverless cars navigation and smart sensors – 5G could well be the communications technology that will enable some great and creative deployments.

What are the health concerns associated with 5G?

With 5G comes questions about whether it could harm our health. Do you remember when mobile phones were beginning to emerge into mainstream use and there was much anxiety about what the radio waves were doing to our health? Mobile telephone has never been without concerns, but 5G seems to have evoked more than its fair share of health worries.

The installation of 5G masts have been banned in multiple UK locations. And it’s not just parts of the UK that are opposed to 5G – Back in 2017 180 scientists from 36 different countries made a public appea to the EU to pause their plans of 5G expansion whilst investigations were carried out looking at the long-term effects on human health.

Whilst both 4G and 5G use radio waves, 5G uses higher frequency waves. It’s these high frequency waves that provide better network capacity and speed.

Studies that have looked into any potential health risks from 5G haven’t seemed to identify any specific danger from 5G.

What is the future for LTE and 5G?

With the rise of 5G comes potentially society-changing connectivity – Like self-driving cars.

But technological advances can be slow if not steady. Whilst there is definitely potential for 5G to take over, it could take considerable time for 5G-enabled devices to really take hold of the market. Even from the likes of Apple!

There is still space for 4G LTE in our networks, and whilst it may be 5G’s predecessor, it’s not going anywhere just yet.

Research from Ericsson suggests that the dominant cellular network technology seen in most regions globally is still 4G LTE. 78% of mobile subscriptions in Western Europe in fact! Just because the 5G rollout is well underway, doesn’t mean that everyone will immediately jump ship and drop 4G LTE. It’s expected that 4G LTE will still be the dominant network even 5 years from now.

By 2026 Western Europe is predicted to be using 5G in 69% of all mobile subscriptions. However, Ericssons findings suggest that even as 5G usage surges, 4G LTE won’t automatically decline. It’s even predicted that 4G LTE availability will grow, with global coverage of 95% by 2026, with 5G only seeing 60% in those 5 years.

There is no denying that 5G is the future for telecoms. But by the time we are all accustomed to using it, 6G might well be on the way! Despite 5G becoming more prevalent as time passes, we still think there’s no need to be abandoning 4G just yet.

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4G 4G Mobile Broadband 4G Wi-Fi 5G Unlimited data plan Wi-Fi Product Feature
The Robustel R5020 5G Router

We’ve talked a lot in recent weeks about 4G broadband and how it can solve many Wi-Fi issues in rural areas and homes with a slow BT Openreach connection.

But of course, the question on everyone’s lips when we talk about 4G routers and mobile broadband is ‘when will there be a 5G router?’

One product we’re feeling particularly excited about is the Robustel R5020. This router is touted to be offering next-generation cellular connectivity at a competitive price.

The R5020 will enable rapid deployment of high speed IoT applications in sectors such as Transportation, Enterprise Connectivity and Digital Signage.

In a compact industrial unit, the R5020 will offer 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G band coverage.

What are the key features?  

Here are the key features of the Robustel R5020 5G router.

A router with 5G capability

As Robustel’s first 5G capable router, the R5020 will also be capable of supporting 4G and 3G bands.

 

A stable operating system

Powered by their tried and tested CPU platform, the R5020 uses their mature and stable in-house Operating System RobustOS. This OS is fully programmable with a fully documented Software Development Kit. It also comes with a free cloud management platform (RCMS).

 

Applications

The R5020 is designed for use by various applications.

In-vehicle applications

  • Passenger Wi-Fi
  • CCTV de-brief
  • Ticketing
  • Other similar “onboard” requirements

Potentially increase internet speeds in these scenarios with the R5020, as well as future-proofing your current installations by making them 5G compatible. The R5020 has achieved E-Mark* certification for in-vehicle use, and supports GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) positioning. There is also a version to protect vehicle batteries with vehicle ignition sensing when the engine is turned off.

Broadband Failover

  • As well as a 5G Router, the R5020 can be configured to use Ethernet or Wi-Fi as the primary internet source. Should there be an outage on either of these, it can then failover to 4G or 5G.
  • If your business is a shop or small office, this can provide a good degree of connectivity resilience at a reasonable cost.
  • It can provide sufficient bandwidth for multiple users.
  • Core networks can utilise connections from IPSEC (Internet Protocol Security), DMVPN (Dynamic Multipoint VPN) and Open VPN (Virtual Private Networks) protocols.

Primary Broadband

  • You might think that using mobile broadband would be a pricey alternative, but mobile networks are now offering unlimited 5G tariffs at reasonable prices.
  • This means that hundreds of Mbps internet are available over the air.
  • There are many technical and commercial scenarios that make a wireless internet connection a favourable option, and mobile broadband offers another level of connectivity on top.

 

For more information on this product, or to register your interest in it when it’s available, head to their website.

If you would like more information on how 4G broadband could make a difference to your connectivity, please get in touch with our Wi-Fi experts here at Geekabit. We have a 4G antenna testing pole so we can assess whether 4G would be a viable option for your premises.

 

 

*An e-Mark proves your vehicle or component complies with the relevant EU/ECE regulations and can be sold in the EU, as well as other regions which have signed up to the ECE vehicle regulations. EU type approval is mandatory for whole vehicles as well as a range of automotive systems and components

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4G 5G Technology
What’s The Difference Between 5G and 4G?

Wondering exactly how 5G is different from 4G? As the UK begins to embrace 5G technology, this is a question that more and more people will be asking.

There are actually many differences between 4G and 5G, but in this blog we’re just going to cover the main ones which will affect us the most.

1. What’s the difference in speed between 4G and 5G?

As with many technological advancements, one major difference between 4G and 5G is speed. 5G is much quicker than 4G – It is the fastest available form of cellular connectivity. Current real-world speeds of 4G are around 20-40mbps. In contrast, likely real-world speeds for 5G will be 300-500mbps, with theoretical speeds of up to 1Gbps. That’s a pretty big difference.

This is welcome news to those who have slow internet or connectivity problems – The new high speeds brought to us by 5G will make it a quick solution for many.

2. Will there be an improvement in latency when using 5G?

Commonly referred to as ‘lag’, latency is another improvement that 5G brings. Depending on signal strength, the typical latency of 4G is between 10 and 50 milliseconds. 5G will be more like 1 millisecond, or possibly even less. That’s quick!

But what does this actually look like in real terms? Well, imagine you are browsing the internet on your phone. The latency (or lack of) on 5G will mean that normal websites will be super responsive. What about video streaming on demand? 5G means that 4K video will become the norm.

3. When will 5G be available to me?

5G has actually been around in some places since last year (2019) when the initial 5G masts were introduced and turned on. Some users in London, Cardiff and other large cities were able to roam 5G zones.

However, 5G masts come at a high cost, as do other 5G technologies, so the rollout across the UK has been slow. 4G has of course been widely available for a long time, but the availability of 5G is slowly being increased across the UK so more consumers and businesses will start to be able to take advantage of the increase in speed and power. Those outside larger UK cities will have to remain with 4G.

4. Is the technology behind 4G and 5G different?

Perhaps it’s obvious, perhaps it’s not, but there are actually major differences between the technology behind 4G and 5G.

Due to 4G being commonly available for a while, the technology behind it and thus the hardware and devices available have had the chance to be refined. This means that the costs associated with this are lower.

As 5G is so new, the hardware to use it such as modems, masts and antennae are much modern and thus, more expensive.

As with most technological advancements, it’s inevitable that we will get to the stage of 5G that we are currently at with 4G, where it will be more cost-effective and les pricey. This isn’t likely to happen for a number of years however. The more that mobile phone manufacturers out 5G modems into their devices, the more 5G will be used and the more widely available it will become.

5. What are the differences in wavelength between 4G and 5G?

So far, the power and speed of 5G is making it sound pretty great, with only availability and price being a slight stumbling block. But it’s not as perfect as it seems. Whilst 5G is undoubtedly a great advancement in cellular and connectivity technology, there are some things to consider.

In terms of wavelength, 5G is very different to 4G in terms of varation and versatility. What’s different about 5G is that it has a few different variations of wavelength, from low-band to millimetre wave.

Low-band 5G – This might be the slowest form of 5G, but it can travel long distances. Low-band 5G is the most similar wavelength to 4G.

Mid-band 5G – This is the ideal in-between: A slightly faster form of 5G and the most common form of 5G transmission. It’s a bit of the best of both worlds – It provides pretty high speeds, but can also cover a medium size area with minimal masts.

Millimetre 5G – This is by far the fastest form of 5G, but it comes with its limitations. Millimetre wave might be able to achieve high speeds pf up to 1Gbps, but in order to achieve this it requires line of sight to the device. This means that there would need to be 5G masts on every lamppost for this to be effective – Something that will cause the rollout of this technology be very slow, and very costly.

Of course, this is rather different from 4G, which although has a smaller range of wavelengths and not as versatile, but far cheaper for mobile operators to roll out.

Perhaps the common approach to this will be to introduce the mid-band 5G into wider areas, with city centres having a few millimetre wave spots.

6. What will the uses of 5G be compared with 4G?

Hands up if you use 4G in your everyday lives… Yep, us too. We know too well how useful it is, and what we use it for whether it’s browsing, streaming or making video calls to colleagues, friends and family (we’ve done enough of that over the past few months to know how valuable it is).

Everything that has been possible with 4G, will be furthered more by 5G. The IoT (internet of Things) will benefit from 5G through smarter and more efficient connectivity for smart devices.

Due to 5G having a better internet connection that 4G, it will also mean that 5G could be used as a fixed line alternative in some scenarios. This means that homes or businesses that struggle to get fibre broadband lines could use a 5G router instead.

Hopefully this blog will have explained the biggest differences between 4G and 5G, and what we can expect from this technology over the coming months and years. There’s no doubt that it offers increased speed and power – Let’s see if the price and availability follow suit.

by admin
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