The world is in constant evolution and so does mobile networking technologies. From connecting people living in different countries on high- quality video calls to travel within cities through ridesharing apps or fast browsing, the fourth generation of wireless communication has shown the potential to revolutionize the world. The key goal of wireless communication is to provide reliable and fast connection keeping security its utmost priority. Every new generation of cellular networks brings its features and is a large step in the forward direction, but shifting from 4G to 5G will be a giant leap.
The fourth generation of mobile connectivity had started making waves in 2009 when it was first launched in December in Stockholm. It not only sped up the mobile internet 500 times faster than the previous generation but also introduced connectivity to HD TV on mobiles, instant browsing and reliable audio/ video calls [1].
Almost all mobile devices are 4G compatible now and the connection is available in remote areas too but it's nearly impossible for 4G to manage a massive number of connections with huge capacity on the network. That is how 5G comes to rescue. The key differences between 4G and 5G are fast speed, dramatic bandwidth increase and low latency.
Recently, 4G only has the potential of utilizing lower frequency bands which operates up to 6GHz, however, 5G is capable of operating between 30- 300GHz [2]. This means 5G is100 times faster than 4G operating up to 100 gigabytes per second. Fast browsing and instant massive transfer of data are achievable as 5G can use high-frequency bands.
Another important feature of 5G technology is an enormous bandwidth increase. This dramatic increase will allow users to download data faster, efficient and quicker browsing and minimum lagging while streaming. Video buffering will just be a memory [3].
Latency is the time delay taken by the data from the source to reach its destination. It is measure in milliseconds (ms) and plays a major role in gaming apps where the outcome is based upon reaction time. 4G technology has a latency of 50ms however, in 5G the latency has been reduced to 1ms only. For the building of idea, the average latency to see an image from the eye and to be processed by the human brain is 10ms [4].
In 4G technology towers are being congested in a small capacity to accommodate thousands of users and as a result, the network gets slow, but with 5G there will be less congestion of towers and people will beusing high-speed internet on their devices at crowded places like airports, malls etc [5].
All that glitter is not gold; despite all this shine, there are some challenges as well. One significant consideration would be the radio spectrum. The internet travels in limited space in the form of radio waves. As new generations are coming forth, the spectrum is getting tighter due to bandwidth scattering. With 3G, the devices were large enough to cover a wider area, but now as 4G mobiles and other devices are becoming more compact, the spectrum is clustered [6].
The downside of the increased bandwidth of 5G is the requirement of more towers to manage the immense connectivity. When 4G was rolled out, the devices create more bandwidth meaning a smaller coverage radius by these cells. Now when 5G is into whispers it is anticipated that due to gigantic bandwidth capacity, the cells will not be able to cover a wider area as 3G and 4G. These 5 G frequency waves are not capable of travelling to distant areas far from towers. 5G can only travel to 5GHz. Also, the building of towers will stress on land leases and construction of new towers which will raise the revenue for cellular companies and consumers [5].
An additional drawback 5G phones will encounter will be reduced battery life. Enhancement of battery life will be desired to use your phone the whole day on a single charge. It has also been reported that due to speed and a lot of functions, there will be a production of heat in devices making them feel hot.
In 2020, as the network is modifying at a faster pace and 5G is in whispers, activities are transitioned from computers to smart devices. People consider doing tasks on their phones rather than computers. It can be concluded that in the coming years, 4G will still be a tender backbone to the 5G networks and will bridge the gap between major cities. 4G will also act as the baseline coverage in less populated or remote areas of the world.
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