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16 How does 5G
improve on 4G?
Here are 10 things 5G can
do that 4G can’t
22 Why 5G is about
more than just speed
It’s a digital revolution, not
just a speed-boost
76 Sports
Better for fans, better for
broadcasters
Buyer’s guide
90 AT&T 110 O2
All the info you need on the Despite launching later with
AT&T rollout of 5G and 5G+ a smaller slice of the 5G
in the US spectrum, the network is
rapidly gaining ground
94 T-Mobile
Thanks to the Sprint merger,
T-Mobile is growing fast
80 Education
Faster, smarter and more 98 T-Mobile: Sprint Merger
interactive – a new What exactly did T-Mobile
generation of learning add to its 5G network when
it merged with Sprint?
112 Three
102 Verizon After something of a delay,
The Verizon 5G network is Three’s UK 5G phone
offering improved coverage network is now live
in several larger cities
114 Vodafone
106 EE With unlimited tariffs
The network has brought and roaming on 5G, the
5G to the most UK towns network is looking to
topple some of its rivals
84 The workplace
How the next generation of 116 The best 5G phones
wireless technology The best 5G phones deliver
will empower workers on much faster downloads,
the frontline lower latency and a lot more
7
Introducing 5G Everything you need to know
8
Everything you need to know Introducing 5G
5G
Everything you
need to know
It’s fast. Really fast. But speedier mobile downloads are
only part of why 5G will change everything
As you might have guessed from the name, 5G – the fifth generation of
mobile technology – is the successor to 4G. On paper, 5G is faster than
any currently available Wi-Fi tech, even maxed out Wi-Fi 6, and faster even
than any home broadband available anywhere outside South Korea. 4G
LTE, the standard we’ve relied on until now, is around 100 times slower
than 5G when considering theoretical lab maximums.
That’s huge, but it’s also not entirely realistic; in real-world applications,
5G introduces something more like a 50 times increase in speed, though
the majority of connections top out a little slower than that.
The raw numbers, even if they’re not wholly likely to be what reach a
phone from the mast, are still impressive, and it’s important to see them in
context. They’re easily enough to pull in entertainment content; the BBC
requires 2.75Mbps to stream high-definition content from iPlayer, while
All images © Getty Images unless otherwise stated
Netflix asks for around 25Mbps for streaming its Ultra HD video. Even
if new colour technology, frame rates or the move to 8K bumps those
requirements up still further, there’s cavernous headroom in the top-end
1,000Mbps bandwidth of the 5G spec to cope with it. Even if environmental
conditions mean you only get 200Mbps or 300Mbps, that’s still comparable
to the best home broadband connections available today.
9
Introducing 5G Everything you need to know
How does 5G
compare to 4G?
4G 71Mbps
5G 1,400Mbps
Median latency
NEXT-GENERATION HARDWARE
But still, let’s look at the long term: the unprecedented speed
upgrade of 5G could change the way we think about all of our tech,
and bring some massive consequences for the development of
basically everything in the future. The same generation that once
11
Introducing 5G Everything you need to know
© Getty images
will know where you are should you wander Kit will be able to stay constantly connected.
into the street while in another world. The low Smart devices won’t need to rely on Wi-Fi, and
latency of 5G also means VR should react to your the smart home will move outwards – indeed,
movements more precisely than ever before, constant low-power networking could mean
eliminating the potential for sea sickness caused tomorrow’s smart devices do more than we can
by today’s microscopic delay. even imagine today.
5G’s immense bandwidth could make a
huge difference when it comes to crowding. If THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN
you’ve ever been to a concert or sports game We’ve barely scraped the surface as to the sort of
– or even visited a busy town centre – you’ll technology 5G could one day power, and there
know the pain of having a supposedly full 4G are some who theorise that 5G could lead to
signal yet absolutely atrocious (and possibly major change: the demise of local storage, the
non-existent) data rates. Your local 4G tower, and death of home broadband, even the end of the
the frequencies it uses, can only throw out so smart phone as we know it. There’s a lot of sci-fi
much data at one time. If everyone wants a slice brainstorming out there, mainly because a 5G
of the pie, it needs to cut it infinitesimally thin; future, one with unprecedented connectivity and
5G masts, when all is said and done, will be far network speed, is so exciting to imagine.
more numerous, and able to support many more That’s the good news. The bad news is that
simultaneous devices, although speeds will be even though there’s a lot of potential, 5G is
limited by whatever connects those masts to the still fluid. The first and most crucial factor of a
main internet. successful 5G rollout is consensus; while, happily,
13
Introducing 5G Everything you need to know
it looks like the 5G NR standard has been pretty received outside of around 250m. Put walls or
much universally adopted worldwide, not every other obstacles in the way, and that distance is
company adhered to it at the start. US network reduced even further. Taking advantage of the
Verizon, for example, initially implemented fastest 5G transmissions requires close proximity
its own unrelated 5G formula, though it has to a mast – so our mobile infrastructure, and even
stated that it’ll change in the future as long as the theory around it, is going to need a major
5G NR meets its expectations. There are also overhaul to make 5G the norm.
different interpretations of that 5G NR standard We’ll also need a jump forward in device
to deal with; many countries’ spectrum licensing support. Backwards compatibility with 4G
regulations do not allow for all possible bands networks won’t be an issue since the older
of the standard to be used, and networks system won’t be going anywhere for the
are generally assigned only a portion of that foreseeable future, but at the time of press we’re
available bandwidth. still waiting for a number of companies to get
5G also has a host of other external factors fully on board with 5G. That said, networks have
to deal with. While it’s able to throw around a committed to and pushed for a rapid rollout,
massive amount of data very quickly, 5G is far and even collaborated with each other to get
more prone to atmospheric interference than the job done in the case of O2 and Vodafone.
slower-speed wireless tech – if you’ve ever Device manufacturers are equally excited to
compared 2.4GHz Wi-Fi to 5GHz and noticed the get on board – with a global standard now
latter struggling with reach, it’s a similar situation. seemingly ratified, and masts popping up all
5G’s radio waves can, at the most, propagate over, expect 5G support in phones and even
around a kilometre in clear line of sight and with home routers to become the norm. And let’s not
no obstructions, and generally aren’t effectively forget consumers. We all want to get our hands
14
Everything you need to know Introducing 5G
5G fakery
When is 5G not 5G? When it’s
4G wearing a fake moustache
and glasses. Connect an iPhone
running iOS 12.2 or later to
American network AT&T, and
you’ll see a logo for what it calls
5G E. That’s very exciting, but
5G E absolutely isn’t 5G. In fact,
it’s a slightly boosted form of 4G
© Shutterstock
LTE with an average data rate of
around 40Mbps, slapped with
a confusing and, some might
say, highly shady label. This is a
controversial practice, and hasn’t
“The 5G rollout may focus on delivering gone down well with other
networks (“AT&T is blatantly
faster wireless broadband first” misleading consumers,” says rival
Sprint) but we suppose it’s up to
AT&T what it decides to do with
its branding.
on 5G devices. This means it’s a perfect storm of demand and, There’s more to the not-quite-
5G equation than just a label,
hopefully, supply.
though. Even a year on we’re
in the early stages of its rollout,
YEARS OF HOPE which means that some networks
have only partially launched 5G
5G absolutely means a bright future for technology, and it’s
coverage. That doesn’t simply
tantalisingly close. By the end of 2019, the UK’s networks had mean limited range, either: some
already installed limited 5G in some of the country’s busiest urban networks are in what’s called
the non-standalone phase,
areas, and 2020 has seen a big expansion. But the rollout will not
which means they have only
be as fast as, say, 4G, which itself was frustratingly slow to grow implemented certain aspects
– 5G’s comparatively short range means it requires many more of 5G, with the rest being made
up for by 4G tech. Uploads, in
transmitters, making widespread installation a difficult task made
particular, remain handled by 4G
even harder by certain controversial Chinese telecommunications on a large number of networks
companies. It could be years until 5G reaches your street. Rural areas worldwide. It’s not likely to be
forever, particularly when 5G for
will almost certainly have to wait even longer once the main 5G
home broadband becomes a
rollout is complete, but for those forced to rely on satellite internet regular technology, but if you’re
because traditional broadband is too expensive to install, 5G (when getting slow uploads, that’s likely
the reason – and given that a
and if it reaches them) may be a truly life-changing tech.
couple of key players providing
We’re also not positive on what the price will be when 5G technology for the 5G backbone
becomes the norm. If 5G continues with its current capped data have been blackballed in many
places, it could be a while yet.
plans, its utility may be limited not by its speed but by its cost – so
your home broadband is safe for now. But that’s an ‘if’ – given the
potential capacity of 5G, unmetered connections like the 50 Euro
per month plan from Finnish network Elisa may be a solid possibility.
15
Introducing 5G How does 5G improve on 4G?
From the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G to the OnePlus 9 Pro and
beyond, there are now plenty of great 5G phones on the market.
Alongside them, the 5G networks have continued to expand –
although coverage is far from ubiquitous yet.
If you live somewhere where 5G is available, it could be worth
signing up, as it’s much faster than 4G, offering lower latency and lots
of other benefits besides speedy connections.
It’s the next generation of mobile technology, set to leave 4G in its
dust, thanks to faster downloads, smoother streaming and more. But it
doesn’t just have speed on its side; it will also open up whole new use
cases that just weren’t possible or practical on 4G.
Some of the best uses for 5G may not even have been thought
Above: Console-quality games could be
streamed to mobile devices with little lag up yet, but for ten exciting ones that we already know about, read on.
16
How does 5G improve on 4G? Introducing 5G
© Huawei
17
Introducing 5G How does 5G improve on 4G?
© Shutterstock
08. Smarter homes
and cities
One thing the speed and
bandwidth of 5G could really 09. Enhanced augmented reality
help with is the Internet Augmented reality is a technology we’ve seen a lot of over the last
of Things (IoT). Although few years, but it’s still in the very early stages. 5G could change that.
we’re already seeing the With the high speeds and low latency offered, it will be able to
beginnings of this, with augment reality in far greater ways than is possible on 4G. In the
everything from smart future you might even see completely personalised billboards
thermostats to smart lights projected through your car’s windscreen or your smart glasses.
appearing in people’s Speaking of cars, 5G could potentially enable features like navigation
homes, 5G should provide instructions overlaid on the road when viewed through a smart
the capacity needed windscreen. Those are just two examples, but AR clearly offers a lot
to make nearly every more than just Pokémon Go.
connected home smart.
And it won’t just be
homes. We should start
seeing truly smart towns and
cities powered by 5G. This
would mean cities with the © Shutterstock
21
Introducing 5G Why 5G is about more than just speed
© Deutsche Telekom
Why 5G is about more
than just speed
It’s a digital revolution, not just a speed-boost
5G is here, but if you think it’s all about ultra-quick a new, real-time economy based on an industrial-
downloads and web pages that are faster to load, scale IoT.
you’re only half-right. New 5G cells will be able None of these things will happen overnight.
to transfer not just more data, more quickly, but 5G will take years and years to significantly spread
they’ll also communicate instantly. beyond 5G hotspots in urban areas. 5G won’t be
A real-time internet is coming, which means egalitarian either; select urbanites (and businesses)
a real-time cloud, and the creation of a new class will have it first, while everyone else will only
of electronics that can exchange information fast experience it occasionally. It will be years until we
enough to make near-instant decisions. all use it regularly.
Cue driverless cars, drones, trains and much However, we do know that 5G, when it finally
more besides. A tactile internet where touch reaches mainstream adoption, is going to be
becomes as important as what you see or hear. about significantly more than just having 1Gbps
A new era of electronics where wearables, smart speed connections on our smartphones. Here
fabrics, and connected-everything is possible. are five things about 5G that are more important
The Internet of Things (IoT) in full bloom, but also than the speed.
22
Why 5G is about more than just speed Introducing 5G
23
Introducing 5G Why 5G is about more than just speed
© Bosch
03. Platooning
A key part of the 5G specification is URLLC (Ultra- Platooning will basically mean the vehicle
Reliable and Low Latency Communications), at the front of the group will dictate the speed.
which allows for reliable, instant communications Although it could affect all driving, for now the
between the network and devices. tech is mostly being talked-up for trucks and
This is what makes the era of driverless cars haulage, not only to make goods transport more
a very real possibility, by allowing vehicles to efficient, but also to reduce carbon emissions.
communicate their exact speed and position with “Platooning has the potential to improve
each other in real-time. traffic flows on highways and to decrease the
Known as Cellular-V2X (C-V2X), it could environmental impact of transport,” says Gunnar
eventually lead to something called platooning, Tornmalm, head of predevelopment, systems
which will get traffic moving faster. Groups of development at Scania, who adds that drag
vehicles in a connected platoon will be able to accounts for 25% of a truck’s fuel consumption.
drive with a one-second gap between each “However, the technology will only reach
vehicle, automatically matching each other’s markets broadly if vehicles from more than one
speed and braking. The reaction time for braking brand can find each other,” he adds. A format war
could be reduced to zero. is never far away, is it?
24
Why 5G is about more than just speed Introducing 5G
Clearly, 5G will have bigger ramifications on your to have a much bigger impact on society as
life than putting a faster phone in your pocket a whole. For example, it will replace home
(though we are excited for that). Rather than just broadband and bridge the gap between rural
being about streaming 8K videos and gaming on areas and cities; give kids in schools more
the go, it in fact has the potential to absolutely learning tools; improve health care outcomes;
transform your life, revolutionising the way we make streets safer with self-driving cars; and
receive and use information. bring augmented reality from a Google-Glass-
While it’s easy to focus on the personal like spectacle into the mainstream.
benefits 5G will bring each of us, it also stands Here’s how.
26
How 5G will change your life Introducing 5G
© Verizon
5G providers: A number of internet
5G IN YOUR HOME: CABLE BROADBAND KILLER? providers already have 5G networks up
and running
5G isn’t just going to make your phone faster. Theoretically, your
home internet will also be faster if you opt for 5G fixed wireless
over broadband. Instead of paying a cable company to wire your
place and hook you up to the internet, you can install an antenna
that beams 5G into your home from a cell tower. For rural areas in
which laying cable is super-expensive, grabbing a 5G signal from an
existing tower would be much cheaper.
“We used to talk about fibre to the home and running cable in
the neighbourhoods. People were excited about that, and you had
to check your ZIP code to see if it was available in your area,” says
Steve Koenig, vice president of research for the Consumer Technology
Association. “5G won’t eliminate that, because there will sometimes
need to be a physical connection, but for consumers, your home
broadband service could be 5G. 5G can penetrate better than 4G
because it penetrates across three bands: low, mid and high.”
Carriers like Verizon and AT&T are already getting into the 5G
fixed wireless business, and though it’s the early days still, increased
competition for cable providers could mean lower home internet
bills for consumers, who still don’t have many options when it
comes to broadband.
27
Introducing 5G How 5G will change your life
“Why watch it on
YouTube? Why not just
put on your AR glasses
and say: ‘Alexa, show me
instructions please.’”
28
How 5G will change your life Introducing 5G
“Why watch it on YouTube? Why not just devices that we will still need to wear to overlay
put on your AR glasses and say, ‘Alexa, show me information on top of our vision a whole lot
instructions please,” says Peter Linder, head of 5G lighter and thinner. To get an idea of what that
marketing at Ericsson may look like, picture something like the defunct
Linder goes on to explain that fixed wireless Google Glass, but considerably more attractive.
could improve internet access for people outside “5G connectivity may not just be on your
metropolitan areas, where fixed broadband phone, it could be across a range of consumer
connections aren’t great and mobile connectivity devices: wearables, like AR glasses, could have
isn’t much better. their own 5G connection,” explains Koenig.
“If we’re trying to make the city smart, we Currently, augmented-reality glasses require
have to make sure the countryside is clever,” a connection to a computer – either over a
Linder says. “Otherwise the gap between rural Wi-Fi connection or physically tethered to a
and metropolitan opportunities is going to get wall-mounted or a wearable computer attached
even bigger.” to, for instance, a belt. Headsets with fully
integrated computers, like Microsoft’s HoloLens
5G ON YOUR BODY: AUGMENTED- 2, are massive. 5G AR glasses would eliminate
REALITY GLASSES GET REAL connectivity issues and would be comfortable
Many experts also predict that 5G will usher enough to wear for lengthy periods of time. That
in the era of augmented reality. While people would unlock a whole new way of interacting
have been hyping AR for years, 5G will make the with the world.
29
Introducing 5G How 5G will change your life
© Getty Images
– the output to you is coming out of the glass
window. 5G is breaking out of that as the only
way of doing things.”
There’s a presentation about China: a PowerPoint.
5G IN THE CLASSROOM: It’s a good environment. But there’s another
FLYING OVER THE GREAT WALL child in the class. [The teacher says]: ‘Put on that
The faster speeds and lower latency that 5G headset and we’ll drop you into a 360-degree
will deliver will make AR and virtual reality video so you can be [in China] without being
transformative for kids in classrooms. there.’ [The kid says:] ‘I’m flying over the Great Wall!
Toby Redshaw, senior vice president of 5G That is unbelievable!’ The second child had an
innovation at Verizon, offers a scenario in which experience. A whole chunk of his brain lit up. That
5G could make education more accessible: “You immersive environment is between three and
have a child that sits in a class for four hours. eight times more effective.”
© Shutterstock
30
How 5G will change your life Introducing 5G
© Verizon
with augmented reality could also make it easier
for doctors to learn and perfect procedures.
“For students who need In May 2019, medical startup Medivis
more than a lecture or a received approval from the US Food and Drug
Administration for an augmented-reality platform
textbook to fully understand called Surgical AR that will guide surgeons
concepts, 5G could unlock a through procedures via a holographic overlay
on the patient. Earlier that year at CES, Medivis
whole new way to learn” CEO Christopher Morley said that 5G will reduce
latency so much that surgeons will be able to
Verizon put out a call for innovative use AR to perform surgeries in real time. Morley
applications for 5G in middle-school classrooms expects 5G and AR will reduce the possibility of
for its 5G EdTech Challenge. Earlier this year, the error and improve post-surgical outcomes.
carrier’s foundation awarded $1m to 10 groups But 5G could take surgeons out of the
that created ways to make 5G useful in the operating theatre entirely. The Consumer
classroom. Some of the winning ideas included a Technology Association’s Koenig says 5G could
virtual-reality experience of space, a mixed-reality allow doctors to perform operations remotely
game to help students with autism work on social using 5G-connected robots.
skills, and an app that brings physics to life. Outside of surgical suites, 5G could improve
For students who need more than a lecture or health care outcomes across the board. Columbia
a textbook to fully understand concepts, 5G could University is using Verizon’s 5G network to test
unlock a whole new way to learn. remote rehabilitation for stroke patients using
virtual-reality headsets. Therapists remotely guide
5G IN THE HOSPITAL: HOLOGRAPHIC patients, who are wearing VR headsets, through
SURGERIES AND BEYOND exercises to improve their motor skills, which
Just as 5G could make it easier for kids to is critical for those who can’t travel to facilities
experience subjects that most of us have only for in-patient rehab. The program is also useful
read about in books, next-gen speeds combined for therapists, because it analyses everyone
31
Introducing 5G How 5G will change your life
© Verizon
latency when using programs
such as Surgical AR
who follows the program and determines if the “Connecting cars, giving them the ability to
exercises actually work. connect to the internet, streaming movies to
“How often does this great therapist show up passengers – but also advanced safety [features],
in rural Arkansas, or east Los Angeles? Probably giving the cars ability to communicate with
never,” Verizon’s Redshaw says. “In the 5G world, other cars, passengers [and] infrastructure.
what do I need for this person to show up? I need Those are the marquee [use cases for 5G],”
them to have a connection and this $200 set of explains Danny Tseng, technical marketing
goggles. Economically that’s a great thing for that manager at Qualcomm.
industry and, for patients, it’s fantastic to blast Above the fleets of self-driving vehicles that
through socioeconomic barriers.” Tseng, Koenig and others imagine will take over
the roads in the near future, autonomous drones
5G IN SELF-DRIVING CARS: SAFER will be delivering packages and embarking
(AND MORE FUN) RIDES on rescue missions with the help of 5G. The
Self-driving cars are already being tested on the time it takes for a drone to receive instructions
roads, but experts predict that 5G will make them and deliver footage to the ground will be
safer and alleviate concerns that most of us have near instantaneous over 5G, which will make
about letting a computer drive for us. It’s also one its missions much safer and more accurate –
of the most exciting use cases for 5G – and there’s whether they are for Amazon deliveries or search-
a lot at stake. and-rescue operations.
32
How 5G will change your life Introducing 5G
Things 5G will do
you didn’t expect
From better music to a ‘tactile’ internet, here are some ways 5G will surprise you
Download a 4K movie in three seconds! That’s However, this is just the eMBB (enhanced
the headline feature of 5G according to the lazy Mobile Broadband) feature of 5G, which is only a
mainstream media, which is probably why the small part of the story.
public aren’t yet as excited about 5G as they To understand 5G, you need to know that 5G
should be. networks will be able to support up to a million
So 5G isn’t about downloading movies devices per square kilometre thanks to massive
quickly? No, though the focus on 5G’s incredible Machine Type Communications (mMTC) and that
speeds is no surprise. After all, 5G networks will they’ll also have Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency
bring speeds of about 1Gbps. Communications (URLLC).
Compare that to the 4G LTE networks we have Jargon? Yes, but by being super-fast, super-
in the UK right now that offer speeds of about dense and enabling latency-free communication,
20Mbps; 5G will be 100 times faster, and in the 5G will bring changes to the tech world we can
long-term it’s expected to jump even further up only imagine. Luckily, we can imagine quite a lot
to 20Gbps. already… besides, who still downloads movies?
34
Things 5G will do you didn’t expect Introducing 5G
37
Introducing 5G How will 5G affect security?
38
How will 5G affect security? Introducing 5G
How will 5G
affect security?
The volume of data will increase in the era of 5G
– but so will its value to unscrupulous individuals
It’s easy to overhype 5G, but it’s not an exaggeration to suggest the
arrival of the next generation network represents the most significant
development in the history of mobile communications.
The transitions from 2G to 3G, and 3G to 4G, both delivered significant
performance enhancements and new capabilities that have allowed
mobile technology to become an integral part of everyday life.
39
Introducing 5G How will 5G affect security?
5G is no exception, offering greater speeds and For example, eHealth applications will collect
capacity that will allow for a faster and more reliable extremely personal data about our bodies and
connection. Mobile operators are rebuilding their wellbeing, connected car services will monitor
networks so the time it takes for data to be sent our movements and smart city applications will
across them is significantly reduced. collect information about how we live our lives.
Not only this but 5G is the first generation
of mobile network to be designed for machine-
to-machine (M2M) communication, enabling a “5G networks will
whole range of new use cases that promise to
change how we live, work and play.
encourage us to capture
The possibilities are seemingly endless – but and share more and more
could this new era of ubiquitous connectivity
introduce new security risks?
of our personal data”
THE CHALLENGE TO PRIVACY This data collection will be accelerated by
The biggest security challenge that 5G networks the sheer number of connected objects. It is
pose is to our privacy. 5G networks will enable new thought that in the 5G future, the smartphone
kinds of applications and will allow us to connect will become a super-connected hub for other
more devices to the network (and to each other), personal devices like smartwatches.
encouraging us to capture and share more and Meanwhile, as the first generation of
more of our personal data. Some of which may mobile connectivity to be designed for M2M
never have been captured digitally in the past. communication, your 5G-enabled devices will
40
How will 5G affect security? Introducing 5G
THE THREATS OF 5G
There’s no doubt that in the vast majority of cases,
this data will be used ethically and will be useful
to the user. However, the increased volume and
variety of information makes it more valuable to
attackers who have nefarious intentions.
The scope for blackmail, identity theft, and Meanwhile, the increased number of
even personal safety would be potentially connected devices means more targets and
limitless. For example, what if an attacker launchpads for attacks. If just one of your devices
was able to access to a 5G-enabled camera isn’t configured correctly, then it might be
or connected car application? Some are also possible for cybercriminals to steal data or launch
concerned that because 5G needs more a more widespread attack using a botnet.
network sites to compensate for reduced range,
that the location data held by operators would BUILT-IN SECURITY
be more accurate, potentially giving hackers your The threat to privacy is one of several reasons
exact address. why the debate about 5G security has become
41
Introducing 5G How will 5G affect security?
© iStock
so prominent in the media. As more sensitive 5G networks comprise three main elements.
data is transmitted across the network and more The radio network transmits data from your
mission-critical applications become reliant phone to the mast, the transport network sends
on 5G, the risk of an attack, service outage, or this from the mast to the core network, and the
state-sponsored surveillance operation becomes core network processes the data and sends it
increasingly unpalatable. back again. The core is the most sensitive part of
Infrastructure left insecure – either by the network as it handles all the main customer
accident or design – is simply too great a risk data and information.
to contemplate. The good news is that mobile Operators will use a mixture of suppliers in each
operators are ensuring that security is built into part of the network and, just for added piece of
the fabric of their 5G networks. mind, Huawei kit has now been banned from the
5G is a more secure standard than 4G, while UK and will be removed entirely by 2027. But this
more stringent testing requirements and security should be of little concern because, as one major
obligations at a national and international level operator said, hacking a phone mast is so pointless
should minimise the risk of vulnerabilities in you might as well hack a phone.
telecoms equipment.
Despite recent debates about the security WHAT CAN YOU DO?
of Huawei kit in the UK, there’s no evidence It’s important to recognise that there’s no reason
to suggest that any major vendor is a risk, and for 5G networks to be any less secure to use than
operators are likely to build their networks in 4G. A mobile network can never be 100% fail-safe,
a way that minimises the risk of an outage or but it’s significantly safer to use than public Wi-Fi,
anyone accessing your data. for example.
42
How will 5G affect security? Introducing 5G
5G enables ‘network slicing’, which allows should be the bare minimum. You should only
operators to effectively ring-fence part of the grant permissions to applications you trust, use
network for a dedicated user or application, encrypted applications where possible, and be
guaranteeing speed and capacity, and stopping wary of granting access to health or location data
anyone else from accessing that bandwidth. It’s if there isn’t a clear need for it.
also worth bearing in mind that all data sent over If you’re not convinced, then bear in mind
5G is encrypted. future 5G devices will offer increasingly advanced
Meanwhile, mobile operators are working to security options and it appears as though there
ensure their services are as secure as possible at is some demand. It may sound like science
an infrastructure level. It’s not surprising, given fiction, but according to Ericsson, 29% of people
a report from Ericsson found that four out of ten questioned would like DNA authentication to be a
people consider the security and trustworthiness biometric security option.
of a network to be important considerations It’s unlikely that the debate about best practices
when picking a provider. and protection will go away any time soon, such is
What 5G does change significantly is the the growing importance of mobile connectivity to
applications and devices that we will use. This our everyday life. But at least it means the mobile
means the precautions you take to secure your industry is committed to finding answers.
device are even more important. And if you’re bored of it already, you’ll be
Basic measures such as using a PIN code or delighted to know that work on 6G, the successor
biometric security to access your smartphone to 5G, has already started.
43
How 5G will transform Intro
44
Intro How 5G will transform
45
How 5G will transform Wearables
Wearables
Smartwatches and fitness trackers could be even more useful with 5G
Faster, better, and the future of mobile spectacularly speedy (providing you live in an area
internet, 5G is certainly the connection you want that supports 5G).
on your smartphone. It means faster speeds for What does that mean for your smartwatch or
when you want to download something in a fitness wearable though? It’s not as though you’ll
hurry, as well as being able to stream video more find yourself often downloading hefty files to your
efficiently while sitting on the train during your watch or fitness tracker, after all. So will 5G really
daily commute. make a significant difference to smartwatch users?
With speeds potentially being 100 times faster With a growing trend for wearables to be
than standard 4G, the new norm is going to be self-sufficient rather than relying on smartphone
46
Wearables How 5G will transform
files on the cloud rather than requiring their able to measure body temperature or other vital
smartphone or wearable device to include signs. For the avid runner, this could mean no
physical storage. longer needing a heart monitor strap as well as a
That has a few benefits tied into it. By turning smartwatch, for example.
your smartwatch or fitness wearable into a The idea of wearables that can work as your
gateway for your data, it means that they can also own personal trainer or doctor is far more likely
become smaller. with 5G too, especially if it frees up storage space
Instead of having chunky devices that contain and makes the reams of data they would need
lots of physical storage, manufacturers could capture more accurate.
focus on providing more advanced sensors and
better batteries. Wearables could also simply SMARTER USE OF
look smaller, sleeker and more fashionable – SMALLER TECHNOLOGY
something that’s particularly relevant in the case More space for a better battery, in conjunction
of ring- or necklace-based trackers. with 5G’s more efficient use of power, could
Most wearables are able to track how also go some way to reducing the smartwatch’s
far you’ve run, your current heart rate, and biggest obstacle up until this point – its limited
your location, but all of these features can be battery life.
somewhat inaccurate at times. Smaller wearables in the future may also
With more nano sensors built into them, we lead to a growth in smart clothing. Smart
could benefit from sleek-looking wearables that clothing already exists, but it’s limited in
are also highly accurate, right down to being scope and popularity currently. 5G and the
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Wearables How 5G will transform
Smart homes
5G will make your home smarter, faster, and better
Much has been said about 5G being the future for rampant while we wait for more 5G to reach more
mobile technology. After all, it’s the natural next towns and cities.
step after 4G and promises to be substantially The smart home is an environment a
faster than anything we’ve seen before. growing number of us live in – a household that,
We’re not just talking about incremental besides possessing laptops and smartphones,
speed boosts either, given that 5G will be, on also contains IoT (Internet of Things) gadgets,
paper, 100 times faster than standard 4G. So from smart speakers like the Amazon Echo to
far, that seems to be the case, but how will it smart light bulbs and smart locks, right down to
help the average user? all-in-one gadgets like the Google Home Hub.
Particularly in the case of the smart home, 5G Connected devices are a great way of
technology has the potential to revolutionise. That streamlining how you do things around the
is, if you buy into the hype and speculation that’s home, but they are limited too, thanks to speed
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Smart homes How 5G will transform
restrictions and other issues. Could 5G be the to work as well. That means cities will need to
saviour that makes the smart home a more install more 5G masts compared to the number
appealing proposition to all? that were installed for 4G. Potentially, we may all
need some form of antenna or hub in our homes
FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT to get the most from the service.
SMART DEVICES However, being able to cope with so many
It’s important to know that 5G isn’t just faster. It’s different connections at once is a huge advantage
also vastly more efficient in how it approaches for 5G. Wireless connections are consistently
things. It offers lower latency so its response times under demand from many different sources all
are speedier and it’s also generally smarter. at once and becoming overloaded with different
It can handle more users simultaneously than users and devices is a often hefty bottleneck for
4G due to its ability to co-exist alongside other receiving a high quality service.
wireless signals without any risk of interference. Take a look around your home. How many
5G operates on three different spectrum bands, devices already use a wireless connection in
which means it can be as fast as it needs to be, some way? It’s likely that your TV, games consoles,
depending on the device that’s connecting to it. smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, and laptops
That frees up capacity for users in busy areas and all depend on a strong wireless connection to
reduces slowdown at peak times. work effectively.
The downside? Higher band spectrums need But what about if you add a smart speaker
a clear and direct line of sight to the relevant mast or hub to the mix? Or a smart light bulb system?
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How 5G will transform Smart homes
Or locks? The list is near never-ending nowadays, what’s going on outside your home is useful
with even large appliances like refrigerators or but only if the response rate means the pictures
microwaves coming with smart home technology update rapidly.
built-in. A 5G connection means a theoretical
During setup, many of these devices create response rate of 1ms or 2ms compared to a
their own Wi-Fi network before switching over to home broadband connection of 10-20ms (at
the main home network. Others rely on Bluetooth best). Instantly, it makes a security system more
for the early stages of setup. attractive to the concerned homeowner.
In either case, 5G can provide a more Overall, 5G could be far superior to a home
consistent form of service, consolidating setup broadband connection. Faster, theoretically more
and ensuring that things are easier to get started. reliable, and even potentially cheaper – however,
It’s the kind of thing that can make smart home there are issues to work through first.
technology far more accessible and more
intelligently designed, thereby encouraging more WAVING BROADBAND GOODBYE
users to embrace IoT. There are conflicting reports as to what 5G
Low latency is another way in which 5G could means for power consumption. While it’s
improve smart homes significantly. In the case more energy-efficient in principle, as we have
of security camera systems like Ring and Nest, mentioned above it also requires more masts to
every millisecond counts. Being able to view work effectively.
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Smart homes How 5G will transform
Like with any new technology, it’s also likely internet connection), as well as eventually
to have a knock on effect on the battery life waving goodbye to the need for a landline.
of portable devices like 5G smartphones and This also gives users time to adapt to 5G, slowly
wearables; it’s something that will take time, swapping out older devices for new ones that
possibly a few years, to improve. support the new protocol.
There’s also the fact that you’ll need to At the more commercial end of the scale, the
replace your current smartphones and gadgets future can be seen a little through the eyes of
to be able to use 5G. That’s less of an issue for Huawei’s plans for the InterContinental Shenzhen
smartphones as many of us upgrade regularly, hotel in China: currently in the midst of a makeover,
but swapping out smart home systems and it’s set to be the world’s first 5G smart hotel. That
infrastructure isn’t for the faint hearted – or for means continuous 5G coverage for users, but also
anyone counting their pennies. things like 5G-powered ‘welcome robots’, cloud
It’s reasonably likely that for a time, 5G will gaming, virtual-reality rowing machines, and the
co-exist alongside existing home broadband ability to seamlessly stream 4K movies.
setups. Base stations are key here, with homes Everyone likes a speedy internet connection
potentially having a 5G hub alongside a and one that enables them to do more. 5G looks
hardwired broadband solution. That means set to make smart homes even easier to set up
increased reliability in the home (all-important and live amongst than before – it’s just going to
when even your lighting depends on your take a little time and adaptation to get there.
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How 5G will transform Movies
Movies
Get used to a world of portrait-first video
Have you ever tried to stream a video on the bus? happening because the action has turned into a
You know how it is: the latest Marvel movie trailer low-resolution mess of coloured blocks.
has just been posted by your friend on Facebook, The problem with 4G is that sometimes there
and you don’t want to wait until you get home to just isn’t enough bandwidth. Your download
see what all of the fuss is about. So you hit the link speeds are being shared with everyone else, so if
and… hope for the best. too many people are trying to connect in the same
If you’re lucky, the video will play without a area, your connection can become unreliable.
problem over 4G, but if you’re unlucky, you could But, luckily, the solution is just around the
quickly see the action paused, as a circle of dots corner. Over the next couple of years 5G is going
tells you Spider-Man is currently buffering. And to continue to grow and transform our mobile
when it does play, you can’t really work out what’s video experiences.
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Movies How 5G will transform
this technological shift – not just how 5G will It’s going to accelerate the process of unbundling
make downloads faster, but how it could change and ‘cord cutting’, as the idea of watching TV will
our behaviour. be further divorced from the need to have Sky or
For example, today if you’re planning to watch Virgin Media in the UK, or Comcast or Verizon in
some Netflix or catch up with Amazon Prime the US. After all, why would we want to pay for
Video, you have to plan ahead and download bundles when apps will let us download what we
what you intend to watch on to your device want specifically over 5G?
ahead of time to get the best experience. Given the bandwidth 5G enables, it is likely
With 5G and near ubiquitous connectivity, that, just like how many millennials have never
streaming will become the default option and had a landline phone, future generations may not
you’ll be able to trust that the bandwidth and even bother getting a broadband connection for
connectivity will be available when you need it. their home.
It also goes without saying, that 4K streaming
over the air should also become routine, which PORTRAIT MODE
will be just in time for 4K screens on phones to 5G could also have a really big impact on the
become commonplace. types of content we consume. For example, with
Of course, 5G isn’t just going to change us: ubiquitous connectivity, will we be producing
it’s going to change where we get film and TV more video content ourselves than ever? Will
from too, and upset the industry in the process. Hollywood films find themselves challenged
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Movies How 5G will transform
© Getty Images
Augmented reality
5G could be the key to unlocking AR’s potential
We all know by now that 5G is going to be a immerse themselves in, AR seeks to enhance – or
big deal. In fact, it’s rather difficult to imagine a indeed augment – our perception of the physical
modern industry that won’t be positively affected environment around us.
by 5G’s arrival. Augmented reality is already firmly embedded
When it comes to augmented reality, however, in our culture, from the heads-up displays (HUDs)
5G looks set to be more transformational than in a fighter pilot’s cockpit to the live selfie effects
most. Indeed, 5G could prove instrumental in of Snapchat and Facebook. But 5G’s arrival heralds
augmented reality finally hitting the mainstream. a whole new wave of deeply integrated, highly
Let’s first clarify what we mean when we social AR experiences.
talk about ‘augmented reality’. AR, as it’s more Statista estimates that the combined value
commonly known, overlays virtual information of the AR market will rise from $5.91bn in 2018
onto a live view of the real world. While virtual to $198.17bn by 2025. And it’s not a coincidence
reality (VR) creates a completely enclosed, self- that this rise will coincide with the continuing
contained 3D virtual world that a person can fully expansion of 5G networks.
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Augmented reality How 5G will transform
AUGMENTING REALITY
As we’ve hinted at already, augmented reality “Immersion is everything
isn’t a new or cutting edge technology. We
already have the means to create convincing with AR, to the point where
AR experiences, but it’s an extremely hardware- any performance shortfall
intensive process.
Embedding virtual components in a real world can ruin the experience”
view requires powerful processors, sharp cameras,
a range of advanced sensors, and some serious
software smarts. In short, the best AR apps crunch Our existing 4G networks simply don’t have
a lot of numbers. sufficient capacity to bear the weight of more
What’s more, that data needs to be rendered connected or shared AR experiences, nor do
in real time in order to produce a convincingly they have the required low latency – that is, the
smooth and responsive AR experience. Immersion time between an input and data being sent in
is everything with AR, to the point where any response – to be truly responsive in real time.
performance shortfall can ruin the experience.
The huge amount of data being processed in WHAT 5G BRINGS TO THE AR TABLE
real time means modern mobile AR applications It’s here that 5G will be able to take AR to the
are very localised, essentially ‘offline’ affairs. Not only next level because, as already pointed out, the
does this necessitate powerful mobile devices, it next generation mobile network will massively
also limits the scope of the AR experiences. increase capacity and lower latency. ABI
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How 5G will transform Augmented reality
© Google
Research predicts that 5G will provide a “10x transmitting of AR-enhanced live events could be
increase in throughput, 10x decrease in latency, one example.
and 100x increase in traffic capacity” over 4G, This synergy between AR and 5G will also
which will mean that “5G will not only improve, expand the potential for remote-control drone
but will also be a requirement for some of the and robot operation through enhanced HUDs
most exciting AR and VR applications”. and improved haptic feedback. Indeed, this
In such an environment, existing AR lofty concept of the so-called ‘tactile internet’ is
applications would be able to offload much of expected to kickstart the much vaunted fourth
the intensive processing to the cloud, opening industrial revolution.
AR applications out to new, smaller, more energy That might sound lofty, but cutting edge
efficient and cheaper form factors. researchers such as South Korea’s Electronics and
While the Google Glass project appeared to Telecommunications Research Institute predict
be halted several years ago (it wasn’t, but we’ll just such an eventuality. In January 2019, it was
come to that), the prospect of a truly wearable, announced that ETRI had developed a 5G-based
permanently accessible AR device hasn’t gone technology that would enable AR applications to
away. It was just hibernating until the technology send and receive packets of data at speeds that
could be refined, part of which involves a match human perception.
sufficiently capable mobile network. “We will see robots, cars and all other
The nature of AR applications will also grow machines connected to the internet all around
more sophisticated, with truly shared and social us,” said ETRI team leader HwanSeok Chung.
real-time augmented reality experiences. The “[The] tactile internet will enable humans and
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Augmented reality How 5G will transform
machines to interact with each other even from Android devices now, and there are countless
far away.” AR-enhanced applications on their respective
platforms. But the two companies have huge
AR AND YOU plans beyond the current status quo.
Talk of the tactile internet is all well and good, It has been widely expected that Apple will at
but you might ask how 5G-enhanced AR is set to some stage include macOS and iOS support for
benefit the average user over the coming years. AR headsets, although this has been conspicuous
The first thing to note is that the framework in its absence the last few OS upgrades.
is there for massive advances in everyday AR It’s also long been rumoured that Apple
applications. Both Google and Apple, gatekeepers is working on its own set of AR glasses, which
to the two biggest smartphone platforms, are could prove a huge boost to AR’s mainstream
investing heavily in AR. Apple announced its ARKit acceptance. You only need to see the company’s
framework in June 2017, while Google announced dramatic effect on the adoption of smartphones,
its own ARCore in August 2017. tablets, and smartwatches for evidence of that.
AR computation has been a core For its part, Google has been steadily ticking
component of multiple generations of iOS and over in the background with its pioneering
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How 5G will transform Augmented reality
© Microsoft
“Facebook has also been steadily bringing AR features to its
vast network of social platforms”
Google Glass project after an initial failed public to Facebook ads. Through AR Studio, it’s also
run. The latest update comes in the form of allowing third parties to get in on the act.
the business-focused Glass Enterprise Edition 2, Microsoft has its own long-standing AR
which now runs on Android and is powered by hardware project in the form of HoloLens, which
Qualcomm’s AR-focused XR1 chipset. has yielded some of the most impressive (though
On the software front, the company alas not commercially available) AR applications of
announced at Google I/O in 2019 that it was the current era – including an augmented reality
adding 3D augmented reality models to its version of Minecraft.
search results. Talking of Minecraft and AR, Microsoft is
On top of this, Facebook is known to be working on the Minecraft Earth mobile game,
investing heavily in AR. Having played a major which could well prove to be the true breakout
part in the related resurgence of VR through moment for AR gaming.
its Oculus Rift platform, the company is known to AR is set to enter a whole new phase of
be working on its own advanced AR glasses. mainstream acceptance in industry, on our
Facebook has also been steadily bringing AR phones, and through a whole new class of
features to its vast network of social platforms personal devices – and 5G is going to be at the
ever since 2017, from Messenger and Instagram very heart of the revolution.
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Augmented reality How 5G will transform
63
How 5G will transform Virtual reality
© Oculus
Virtual reality
The next-gen of mobile connectivity is the boost VR needs
There are lots of advantages to 5G: it promises 2019 the market size was estimated to be around
to be faster than 4G, it’ll cover wider areas, $6.2bn, which could rise to a predicted $16.3bn by
connections will be more stable and latency will 2022 worldwide.
decrease. And this advanced connectivity will VR is big business and is expected to play
have a significant impact on technology and how a major role in a range of industries, such
we use it across a range of sectors. as entertainment, training, education and
However, if we had to put our money on an healthcare to name just a few. But, although the
industry that could benefit the most from 5G, technology has huge potential, and is already
and may even need it to truly take off, it would be being used in some of these settings, there
virtual reality (VR). are still technical issues that hold it back from
Although there have been reports over the reaching its full potential.
past few years that VR headset sales aren’t hitting The good news is that many believe VR’s
targets, VR is proving to be more and more most significant obstacles could eventually be
popular – and this is just the beginning. overcome by 5G, as it will bring low latency,
According to recent stats, the VR industry as a super fast speeds and stable connections to
whole is growing exponentially year upon year. In headsets that will make VR experiences more
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Virtual reality How 5G will transform
© Oculus
“The good news is that many believe VR’s most significant
obstacles could eventually be overcome by 5G”
accessible, more reliable, and, most importantly, using VR for. VR headsets are typically considered
even more immersive. entertainment devices, and you can use them to
play all kinds of games, as well as watch TV and
THE CURRENT REALITY movie content. But VR offers more than that.
OF VIRTUAL REALITY There are big plans to make social VR as
Virtual reality, often referred to as VR, is a kind commonplace as social networks, allowing you
of technology that allows you to fully inhabit to connect with friends and family wherever
virtual spaces. But we don’t mean getting lost in they are. And, increasingly, documentary VR
a book – the VR we’re talking about here requires experiences are being made, as well as arts-based
you to put on a device, in this case a VR headset, content. There are also a range of applications
and experience a virtual environment that’s been for VR that go well beyond what you’d likely be
created by computers. using a VR headset for at home, including training,
Most VR headsets are fitted with a display, education, logistics and healthcare, just to name
stereo sound, sensors and more, to believably a few.
place you inside a virtual environment. What Given there are so many uses for VR, analysts
that environment is will depend on what you’re have high hopes for the future of the industry.
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How 5G will transform Virtual reality
But, although headset sales are now on the rise, to splash their cash on this kind of tech, as well as
VR still hasn’t reached its full potential of being a to strap a device to their faces to have fun rather
must-have device in every living room. than pick up a games controller or switch on their
There are many reasons why VR hasn’t gone favourite Netflix show.
‘mainstream’ yet. One is that the technology has, Another reason, however, is that connectivity
has been lacking. The main premise of virtual
reality is that you experience a virtual world or
“For VR to really work, space. For that to really work, devices need to be
running fast, they need high levels of storage and
devices need to run fast, low latency. That’s why 5G networks could be
have lots of storage and low just what VR needs for it be for everyone – and
enjoyed everywhere.
latency. 5G networks could
be just what they need” WHAT 5G CAN DO FOR VR
“The impact of 5G on the immersive industry
may seem small, but in fact, it could be one of
historically, been expensive. And, although recent the biggest,” says Sol Rogers, CEO of REWIND, the
releases are entering the market at significantly immersive content studio.
cheaper price points, they’re not cheap cheap. One of the most obvious benefits of 5G to
It’s not just the price, either. It’s also a risky VR, as well as other industries, is that connectivity
purchase for most people. Many need convincing will be more stable. Right now, VR apps can
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Virtual reality How 5G will transform
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How 5G will transform Virtual reality
© Oculus
© Rocksteady Studios
The game Batman:
Arkham VR puts you, quite
literally, in Batman’s shoes
Additionally, existing VR apps would be able some, they were a confusing proposition,
to offload intensive processing to the cloud, needed extra equipment to work and meant
which would enable companies to create that experiences designed to make you feel free
smaller, more energy efficient and even more and place you in another environment were very
affordable hardware. physically restraining.
“The core technology (bandwidth and latency) However, that’s slowly changing. Newer
will enable off-device computing,” explains headsets like the Oculus Quest and business-
Rogers. “So, your device could be low powered driven HTC Focus bring high-quality VR to
and thus low cost, but still be the front-end to more mobile form factors. These can work
a full size and scalable machine in the cloud or well without wires and additional equipment
at the edge. This means that the graphical and to power them, as well as sense movement
computational power available to create amazing without external sensors.
experiences for all of us will increase exponentially 5G’s potential to serve up fast, reliable
[as a result].” connectivity wherever you are appears to be
a match made in heaven for this new era of
GOING MOBILE headsets. Imagine VR at the park or just not
The advent of 5G comes at a great time for the VR having to rely on a Wi-Fi connection – that really
industry for another reason: it’s already becoming feels like the future.
more mobile. The great thing about 5G is it will increasingly
Headsets have, typically, been connected be able to enhance the delivery of virtual
by a wire to a computer, which is how they’re experiences and this will, hopefully, allow VR to
© HTC
powered and fed data. This meant that, for reach its full potential.
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How 5G will transform Mobile gaming
© Getty Images
Mobile gaming
Console-grade graphics on the go thanks to 5G? Surely not!
With download speeds that beat most home Profile clocking in at over 1GB, most gamers
broadband transfer rates, and 4G speeds by today will likely wait until they’re connected to a
around ten times, speed is definitely the name Wi-Fi network before downloading them. This is
of the game when it comes to 5G connectivity. primarily to save data, but another factor is that
But as it was also built with more ‘lanes’ than 4G, the download takes longer over 4G and would
it can handle peak hour data usage that little bit wreak havoc on your phone’s battery.
better, so users should be able to enjoy a more 5G looks set to increase the size of data plans
consistent service. too. Take EE for example. It currently offers 5G on
Given what we know about 5G so far, there a range of data packages – from 10GB per month,
are some very obvious ways that it could benefit to unlimited. The 4G packages meanwhile, range
mobile gamers. from 250MB through to 200GB per month.
For starters, game downloads will be With 5G resulting in more data and faster
quicker. With games like Injustice 2 and Valkyrie downloads, dropping 1GB and a few seconds of
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Mobile gaming How 5G will transform
© Razer
and more speed can be summed up in three
words: no more waiting.
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Mobile gaming How 5G will transform
© Sony
Meanwhile, 5G would also enable streaming gamers’ needs, with features like front-firing stereo
virtual reality movies and games, which have speakers, left and right triggers, pressure sensitive
higher bandwidth requirements. This is because displays and lightning fast 120Hz refresh rates.
two images need to be streamed for VR, one to These all pack flagship internals though, and cost
the left eye and one to the right eye, and both of a fair whack.
these need to be high-resolution to deliver high- In the future, these awesome features could
quality experiences. come to phones that don’t need powerful
internals so they’ll cost a fraction of the price
and might not need to run Android or iOS. And
“In the future, awesome these devices potentially might not even be a
smartphone at all!
gaming features could 5G could create a new breed of handheld
come to phones that cost a gaming consoles – essentially 5G shells that
receive console grade games on a monthly
fraction of the price” subscription basis.
Does this sound far-fetched? Well these are
just a handful of predictions based on what
Mobile gaming hardware is also set to reflect we already know. But one thing is already
5G’s advancements. We’ve already seen the likes abundantly clear: whatever happens, 5G will
of the Asus ROG Phone 5, Xiaomi Black Shark certainly play a key part in the next revolution of
4 and Nubia RedMagic 5G refine hardware to suit mobile gaming.
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Mobile gaming How 5G will transform
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How 5G will transform Sports
© EE
Sports
Better for fans, better for broadcasters
The goal of every athlete is not just to win, but a rather clever demonstration: they gave two
to continually grow faster and stronger, so that American football players VR headsets and
they may keep on winning in the future. But this mounted forward-facing cameras on top.
isn’t just the case in sports. As we speak, every
player in the mobile industry is gearing up for
their biggest competition yet: becoming the “5G could be used to offer
champion of the 5G market.
5G will, of course, be a lot faster and stronger
attendees access to action
than the 4G we’re used to – offering pretty mind- replays from multiple angles”
boggling speeds that could conceivably be up to
100 times faster. But other improvement it offer
is in terms of latency – the time it takes for your They then sent the video from the cameras
device to communicate with the network. over 5G back to the 5G base station, and then
To demonstrate the transformative effect from the base station back to the VR headsets –
this could have, the US network Verizon and so they would still see what their eyes would have
infrastructure provider Ericsson put together seen naturally, but it would be sent over 5G first.
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Sports How 5G will transform
© Verizon
The result? It turns out that 5G is so quick, it’s possible to throw
and catch a football, even relying on images being transmitted to a
base station and back – while still maintaining millisecond precision.
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How 5G will transform Sports
© Tukewood Media
action replays from multiple angles – making emails, doing some important work, or rotting
up for the one thing that TV can do better than your brain watching TikToks.
being at the game in person. Network slicing, however, could enable phone
On a more practical level, 5G could also end networks to pick and choose what gets priority,
the nightmare of having to queue for ages at the and syphon off slices of the available bandwidth
bar at half time, as ordering drinks and snacks for particular favoured services.
from our seats using our phones could become Most obviously this will help the emergency
the norm. services, but it is surely inevitable that as phone
Even more ambitiously, Verizon believes networks compete to win over customers,
we may not be too far away from 5G-powered reliable, slice-off access to live sports will prove
augmented reality experiences – we may soon and attractive proposition. So we can hopefully
be able to hold up our phones and have the expect no buffering whatsoever.
players name and stats float above them as they The benefits of 5G and network slicing go
run around the pitch. The line between FIFA on beyond the immediate consumer proposition too.
your PlayStation 5 and real life is going to get a In fact, 5G could make it easier for TV networks to
little blurry. film and broadcast games – meaning there could
be plenty more sporting content to watch, even if
SLICE OF THE ACTION your team is in the lower leagues.
Viewing away from the stadium could also How? As reported by SportsPro, BT Sport and
improve with 5G. Most obviously, the increased EE carried out an intriguing trial, sending a team
bandwidth and reduced latency should put an to film a football match between non-League UK
end to buffering, even when you’re trying to football titans Braintree Town and Bromley FC.
catch the game while on the bus. But its reliability What made it unique wasn’t the diminutive
could go far beyond this, thanks to a controversial stature of the teams playing, but the fact that
new technology that’s baked into the 5G standard the pictures weren’t edited and produced
called network slicing. from the stadium as in traditional football
At the moment, when you use the internet, all broadcasts. Instead, they were sent back over 5G
traffic is treated equally – whether you’re sending to BT Sports’ headquarters in London, where a
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Sports How 5G will transform
© EE
“The challenge [to traditional sports] from 5G is that it might
make another type of sport more attractive: esports’”
production team was able to turn the raw images Esports have experienced huge growth over
into a TV show. If the production team can all stay recent years thanks to social media and services
in one place, it means they can produce multiple like Twitch popularising the players and the
broadcasts on the same day – or even at the clans. According to one estimate, last year 400m
same time. people watched esport content – a number that
In other words, 5G could massively reduce the is expected only to continue rising, with stars like
number of people needed to make live sports Ninja and the “FaZe” clan commanding millions
broadcasts happen – which could, in turn, result of dollars in sponsorship and advertising revenue,
in more sport to watch; perfect if you support a just as easily as the biggest footballers do.
smaller sports team. With 5G, broadcasting and watching esports
But there is one last twist: in a world of 5G is going to be even easier. No longer will there
ubiquity, will people actually want to watch more be any constraints on where we can watch from
football or other traditional sports? The challenge – so don’t be surprised if we start to see players
from 5G is that it might make another type of broadcast from their mobile devices, rather than
sport more attractive: esports. from their bedrooms.
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How 5G will transform Education
Education
Faster, smarter and more interactive – a new generation of learning
5G has tremendous potential to transform the them for the faster and more connected future
way we communicate, with live high-definition that awaits them.
© Versa / Fitbit
video streaming and much faster download Cutting-edge tech can be a fantastic learning
speeds, but it also has uses far beyond what tool, making subjects more engaging, helping
we currently do with our phones and tablets. children who struggle to learn new concepts
It could also reach into and transform the from textbooks, and bringing education into
classroom and lecture theatres. the homes of children without easy access to a
Universities and training facilities are likely to physical classroom.
be some of the first adopters, helping broaden Thanks to 5G, universities will be able to open
their students’ horizons and improve public their doors to students worldwide, broadening
safety. After that, schools are likely to follow their horizons, and training will be revolutionised
close behind, giving students a more immersive in careers like medicine. Sharing knowledge and
experience inside the classroom and preparing learning new skills has never been easier.
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Education How 5G will transform
5G IN SCHOOLS
The classroom is always a real proving ground for
developing technology, and understandably so
– what’s cutting-edge now will be mainstream
by the time today’s kids enter the workplace.
Coding, for example, has quickly become as
© Getty images
essential as reading, with children writing simple
programs before their seventh birthdays and
VR headsets becoming as commonly seen in
Teachers will be able to interact with Once 5G is rolled out, students will no longer
students for longer, safe in the knowledge be restricted by outdated and limited wired
that the line is stable, and share interactive campus networks, and will be free to take their
experiences with their virtual classes rather than learning with them – from the lecture hall to the
just video – all with practically no latency. It will library and beyond via reliable mobile connections.
also be easier for students to interact with one Universities will also be able to create virtual
another, helping them socialise with children campuses for students studying part-time or via
their own age. distance learning – a boon for mature students
fitting their studies in around work and family.
5G IN UNIVERSITIES Students will be able to ‘visit’ colleges elsewhere in
5G will also be a game-changer for higher the world for special lectures and seminars using
education. Early trials are already taking place at zero-latency, high-resolution two-way video.
the University of Surrey, University of Bristol and 5G and the Internet of Things could also
King’s College London using a 5G test network. make expensive degree courses more accessible
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Education How 5G will transform
in areas without ready access to costly labs and to transform training in all kinds of technical
training equipment. With fast mobile internet, professions as well.
a medical student could not only attend Armed forces worldwide already use
virtual lectures and seminars in real time with advanced virtual cockpits to train fighter pilots.
other students; they could also perform virtual The British Royal Air Force (RAF) has a state-of-the-
dissections and procedures with guidance from a art training facility where pilots experience forces
real tutor. up to 9G while flying three different virtual jets.
5G’s superior bandwidth will enable the Commercial pilots use similar (albeit less extreme)
transmission of haptic feedback, which could help simulators, spending hours in VR before taking to
them ‘feel’ while performing a virtual operation, the skies
and guide their hands as the work. Hyper-realistic With 5G, pilots wouldn’t be limited to pre-
simulations like these could help them prepare programmed scenarios and locations. Instead,
for work in a real hospital, and develop their skills training data could be captured and sent to the
throughout their careers so we can all benefit cloud for processing, then new scenarios and
from better healthcare. challenges could be sent back to the simulator as
a direct response to their flying.
5G IN TRAINING The result would be a more realistic
5G won’t just improve education for children experience, better training, and safer flying for
and students, either. It also has the potential everyone in future.
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How 5G will transform The workplace
The workplace
How the next generation of wireless technology
will empower frontline workers
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The workplace How 5G will transform
Buyer’s guide
Are you a 5G convert? Then you’ll want to pick your
ideal network and phone – and we’re here to help
88
Intro Buyer’s guide
89
Buyer’s guide AT&T
All images © AT&T unless otherwise stated
AT&T
All the info you need on the AT&T
rollout of 5G and 5G+ in the US
between the two companies to boost indoor and network to cover 200 million people in the U.S. by
outdoor 5G coverage. year-end 2023.”
“AT&T is committed to bringing the power of
5G to businesses and communities across the WHAT IS 5GE?
nation, and our C-Band deployments with Nokia As we mentioned, AT&T originally prioritised
will help add 5G capacity where it’s needed,” said 5GE for customers back in 2019. 5GE stands for
Igal Elbaz, Senior Vice President of Wireless and 5G Evolution and it is available in over 500 US
Access Technology AT&T. towns and cities. The approach here still makes
In a shareholder note, AT&T Chief Executive sense. Many consumers still aren’t ready for full
Officer John Stankey said: 5G networks yet, so why not give them a better
“AT&T’s expected capital expenditures of service in the meantime before they’re eventually
around $24 billion per year from 2022 to 2024 convinced to go for a full 5G or 5G+ service? The
builds on its existing position as one of the largest problem is that 5GE could be seen as misleading
investors in digital infrastructure and connectivity - it’s certainly pure marketing, any way you look
in the United States. This investment will allow at it.
AT&T to meet substantial, long-term demand for Other networks aren’t keen and Sprint even
connectivity and expectations for its 5G C-band took out a full-page advertisement in the New
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Buyer’s guide AT&T
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AT&T Buyer’s guide
York Times to say that “AT&T’s fake 5G claims are AT&T is working with Nokia to roll out C-Band
deceiving consumers”. Analyst OpenSignal has spectrum (mid-range spectrum) over the
even suggested that AT&T LTE is often slower than coming years and has signed a five-year deal.
other networks with LTE Advanced. Nokia’s US C-Band portfolio includes support
The issue is that 5GE is not really 5G at all - it’s for both standalone 5G networks and non-
known as LTE Advanced from other vendors so, standalone networks.,
yes, it’s still 4G. “Nokia is ready to support the launch of 5G
AT&T 5G CITIES
AT&T’s main 5G network - Nationwide 5G - is a
low band network which is now available in more
“AT&T’s faster millimeter wave
than 14,000 towns and cities across the US. AT&T is 5G+ network is available
simply referring to this network as “5G” rather than
5GE or 5G+.
today in limited parts of at
AT&T’s faster millimeter wave 5G+ network least 35 cities”
is available today in limited parts of at least 35
cities. As with other networks using millimeter
wave, speeds on this network will reach in services into this valuable new spectrum on our
excess of 1Gbps. These locations include Atlanta, customers’ timelines by leveraging our powerful
Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, portfolio of C-Band solutions and by being the
Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, first to demonstrate a live C-Band network in
Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Oklahoma the U.S. in 2020. Our flexible and comprehensive
City, Orlando, Raleigh, San Antonio, San Diego, portfolio will enable AT&T to enhance its 5G
San Francisco, San Jose and Waco. AT&T Stadium services in areas across the nation,” said Ed
- home of the Dallas Cowboys - has also been Cholerton, President of Nokia North America.
5G-enabled. Like other networks, AT&T reported a massive
upsurge in traffic around the coronavirus
Atlanta is one of the cities getting
AT&T’s faster 5G+ outbreak, largely driven by home working. AT&T
CEO Randall Stephenson told CNN’s Brian Stelter
on the Reliable Sources programme that: “We’re
seeing some signs of stress. We’re having to go
out and do some of augmentation of network
but right now the network is performing
quite well.” Although he didn’t go into details,
Courtesy of Joey Kyber / Unsplash
T-Mobile
Thanks to the Sprint merger, T-Mobile is growing fast
it has just over 100 million subscribers across for fans with bonus stat views for T-Mobile 5G
the US. According to the network, it has added customers. In a measure of how T-Mobile sees
53 million users since 2013. Not surprising when itself, CEO Mike Sievert delivered the keynote at
you have had 27 successive quarters with over a the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January
million new users added. 2022. Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA: “The
Among the 5G test projects that T-Mobile pace of innovation has accelerated over the
has carried out, the network has been using last 18 months, and the rapid roll-out of 5G will
5G-embedded cameras to virtually put fans on only increase the momentum. There’s so much
the baseball field in order to catch the action excitement in this space and for the first time, we
from the players’ point of view and go behind welcome Mike Sievert to our keynote stage to
the scenes. They’re mounted on players hats and share more about T-Mobile’s vision for fuelling
catchers masks - T-Mobile says this is the first 5G innovation.”
time that 5G embeddable cameras have been
integrated into a professional sports league event. T-MOBILE 5G CITIES AND COVERAGE
Each camera features a real-time HD stream. The 5G Extended Range network covers 8,300 US
T-Mobile has also worked with Major League towns and cities. It is still able to get to speeds of
Baseball to create an augmented reality app around 450Mbps if conditions are at their best,
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Buyer’s guide T-Mobile
although expect significantly slower speeds than So as we mentioned previously, T-Mobile has
that generally. Essentially, it is like a quicker form also opted to use low-band 600Mhz spectrum.
of 4G LTE. The low-band spectrum can also carry 5G signals
T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity network is different. inside. Before the T-Mobile launch of low-band
It’s a millimeter wave (mmWave) network similar 5G, its competitor Sprint was leading the way and
to that which we’ve seen from the other US it’s one of the reasons that Sprint and T-Mobile felt
providers - but not providers in Europe. It provides they would be a good fit by merging, which they
the fastest speeds, but has poor range. T-Mobile duly did.
says it is upgrading 1,000 cell towers a month for
this, covering 100 million Americans. However, SPEED AND RELIABILITY
it is really only in some areas of the very largest In May 2021, RootMetrics released its first-ever 5G
cities at present. For its 5G Ultra Capacity network, Scorecard, which shows the race between the
T-Mobile is using 28 Ghz mmWave (millimetre US’s 5G networks. Although AT&T was best for
wave), just as Verizon is. That means excellent Everyday 5G download speeds, T-Mobile offers
download speeds, but a more difficult blanket the broadest Everyday 5G availability of any carrier
rollout. That’s because the shorter wavelength according to the tests. RootMetrics tested the
signals don’t travel so far and are easily blocked 125 most populated metropolitan markets in the
in urban areas or by external walls - so you United States.
need loads of 5G nodes. You only need to look T-Mobile holds a significant lead in the race for
at T-Mobile’s current coverage maps to show Everyday 5G availability, according to RootMetrics,
the issues around mmWave deployment - it’s recording the highest Everyday 5G availability in
extremely patchy. 44 out of 65 total cities tested to date.
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T-Mobile Buyer’s guide
T-Mobile’s coverage
in mid-2020. Today
is has over 100
million subscribers
across the US
T-Mobile was also recently been hailed as the on T-Mobile 5G to deliver a fast and reliable 5G
most reliable 5G network in the US according to connection in more places than anyone else,”
consultancy Umlaut. The network had the best said T-Mobile’s Neville Ray.
overall score of the US networks with an overall “While the other networks play catch up, we’ll
707 points out of a maximum of 1000. The tests keep adding more 5G coverage and capacity to
were carried out using the Samsung Galaxy bring a transformative experience to customers
S21 Ultra. In a clear ranking of how the network across the country.”
rollout is panning out, Verizon scored second Ookla also recently rated the network as
overall with 632 points with AT&T bringing up the fastest 5G network in the US. The testing
the rear with 599 points. - carried out during the first quarter of 2021 -
In terms of reliability, T-Mobile also achieved saw the network clock 82.35Mbps download
the highest score with 664 out of a maximum speeds, followed by AT&T at 76.6Mbps and
of 800 points. In contrast, Verizon ranked second Verizon with 67.24Mbps. Ookla’s study also
with 560 points and again AT&T was third with found that T-Mobile customers spent more time
520 points. “umlaut’s report is just the latest to connected to a 5G network, than customers on
prove customers and businesses alike can count rival 5G networks.
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Buyer’s guide T-Mobile: Sprint merger
T-Mobile:
Sprint merger
What exactly did T-Mobile add to its 5G network
when it merged with Sprint?
One thing is for sure – Sprint has been seen SPRINT’S 5G NETWORK
as a weak prospect through the process. Some Sprint called its 5G service True Mobile 5G. That’s
analysts suggested that Sprint needed the merger quite a mouthful and although it doesn’t have
to happen in order to survive; it reported losses another 5G service to differentiate from, it’s likely
for the three quarters straight and has significant that Sprint was trying to say something about
debt, which T-Mobile doesn’t. Sprint was also other networks with its message – notably AT&T’s
losing subscribers and lagged behind as the 5GE (which is, essentially, 4G LTE Advanced) and
fourth biggest player. others using low-band 5G.
Judge Victor Marrero said in his judgement Sprint, as part of T-Mobile’s network, has
that “the overwhelming view both within Sprint expanded coverage in many of its key locations
and in the wider industry is that Sprint is falling meaning that approximately 305 million people
farther and farther short of the targets it must hit are now covered across around 8,900 cities in
to remain relevant as a significant competitor”. the US.
German firm Deutsche Telekom owns nearly For business, Sprint always maintained that 5G
42% of the new T-Mobile and ARM-owner technology will change the way that businesses
SoftBank around 27%. However, it seems Softbank do business. It had said that we’re about to see
is happy for Deutsche Telekom to be in control a revolution because this is the first generation
and has granted it proxy voting rights meaning it of cellular networks that can be “configured for
effectively controls the firm. specific needs and use cases”.
We’ve outlined more about the merger and its It was particularly talking about the
background in the following pages. possibilities for IoT (Internet of Things) devices, but
99
Buyer’s guide T-Mobile: Sprint merger
also said it opens up possibilities for businesses Now the merger has gone ahead, the
to use cellular they previously haven’t thought of. company will be called T-Mobile – the company
Note that if you’re a Google Fi subscriber, Sprint has been dubbed “New T-Mobile” in publicity.
announced at a year ago that it would provide The combined company is still the third biggest
that service with 5G wireless services in the future, network behind Verizon and AT&T.
but we don’t yet have any more details than that. Prior to the merger, T-Mobile had around
Google Fi uses cellular services from various 46 million users, with Sprint around 33 million
networks and hops between them seamlessly, (according to Statista). However, the Boost Mobile
but it’s interesting to know that 5G will be coming loss has seen Sprint lose around 7-8 million users.
to the service. The combined company has had to promise
to stick to some stringent targets. The company
MERGER WITH T-MOBILE will have to roll out a 5G service to 97% of the
Sprint’s $26bn merger with T-Mobile was in the US within three years including rural areas and
works for two years and was narrowly approved pledging that, within six years, 90% of the US
by the Federal Communications Commission population will have data speeds in excess of
(FCC) and the Department of Justice – which 100Mbps, with another 9% having 50Mbps.
went so far as to mandate that the new
combined company will need to divest some SPRINT 5G COVERAGE
spectrum to Dish to enable it to launch a new, Sprint’s 5G network has now been combined with
fourth competitor in the market. Sprint needs to T-Mobile’s 5G offering, meaning that T-Mobile will
divest its Boost Mobile subsidiary to Dish to make control additional mid-band spectrum.
this happen. Sprint originally began its 5G rollout with
But then the merger came up against a Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Kansas City in early
problem; a multi-state lawsuit in an effort to 2019, but the network expanded this to nine cities
block it, essentially suggesting that the efforts to as of late August 2019, with Los Angeles, New York
reinstate a fourth player in the market through City, Phoenix and Washington D.C. having Sprint
Dish don’t go far enough and that the merger 5G services in certain areas. This covered more
would mean higher prices for consumers. than 16 million people across those nine cities.
On 12 February 2020, the federal judge in the Prior to the merger, it had been expanding
New York Court gave the merger the go-ahead. its coverage within the nine target cities. For
According to Fortune, the key testimony example, in New York City, Sprint expanded its
was from Dish CEO Charlie Ergen, who was
convincing in his ambition to create a new,
fourth player in the mobile market to effectively
replace Sprint.
As well as selling spectrum to Dish, Sprint-T-
Mobile will also have to host Dish as an MVNO for
a time to enable it to get a mobile business off
the ground while it builds its own network.
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T-Mobile: Sprint merger Buyer’s guide
coverage further from the initial 30 square miles • Los Angeles, from Marina del Rey to
across Midtown and lower Manhattan. Downtown L.A., and West Hollywood
As well as New York, Sprint had achieved to Culver City. It also eventually included
enhanced coverage in Los Angeles, Washington parts of Torrance, Southgate, Lancaster and
D.C. , Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and Buena Park.
Houston. The specific areas covered by Sprint and • New York City, in parts of Manhattan from
folded into T-Mobile’s network included: Central Park to the southern tip, the Upper
• Atlanta, from College Park to Alpharetta, and West Side and Harlem, the South Bronx;
from Marietta to Lawrenceville, including parts of Queens and Brooklyn; Hempstead,
Peachtree Corners. Long Island as well as Union City, Paterson,
• Chicago, from the historic IL-64 in the north Lodi and East Orange in NJ.
to Stevenson Expressway in the south, and • Phoenix, across the greater Phoenix metro
as far as California Avenue in the west to the area with service in parts of Phoenix, Tempe,
periphery of Lake Michigan in the east. Scottsdale, Glendale, parts of ASU, Chase
• Dallas-Fort Worth, including downtown Field and Mesa.
and north Fort Worth and Euless, stretching • Washington, D.C., around the U.S. Capitol,
across to north and northwest Dallas, the White House, the National Mall, Foggy
including Plano, Richardson and Garland, Bottom, Downtown, Penn Quarter/Metro
and South Dallas. Center, Dupont Circle, West End and
• Houston, from downtown Houston to Logan Circle. New additions include Fort
Memorial City Mall and City Centre Plaza, Dupont and Deanwood in D.C., parts of
uptown Houston and northwest and south. Blandensburg and Fairmont Heights in
• Kansas City, from downtown to Overland Park, Maryland, and parts of Bailey’s Crossroads.
Kansas, and other places in the KC Metro area. and George Mason University in Virginia.
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Buyer’s guide Verizon
Verizon
The Verizon 5G network is offering improved
coverage in several larger cities
said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon. “With 5G, “They’ve painted themselves into a
doctors should be able to do things like create technology corner with a 5G strategy focused on
holographic 3D anatomical renderings that can millimetre wave. They bet on the wrong horse,
be studied from every angle and even projected and now they’re trying to advertise their way out
onto the body in the OR to help guide surgery.” of it.”
But Verizon is also now using lower band
VERIZON 5G COVERAGE technology to bring a lower spec service to a
After criticism from users, media outlets and rivals, wider audience.
Verizon has now released coverage maps of all Verizon’s mmWave network – known as 5G
the cities it is currently offering 5G services in. Ultra Wideband – is only available in selected
T-Mobile has been gleefully making areas of each city – so while speeds are great,
fun of Verizon’s 5G rollout with a campaign coverage isn’t as yet. More than 60 US locations
targeting Verizon’s limited rollout that’s been have received Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband since
concentrating on mmWave locations rather than the network launched.
a wider low-band rollout. “In the 5G era, they’re Mind you, it’s difficult to get away from the
losing their network crown,” said T-Mobile CTO thought that 5G Ultra Wideband coverage is still
Neville Ray, in a 2020 blog post. in its infancy because of the sparse coverage
and you can see why Verizon might have been
reluctant to release the maps previously. Verizon’s
“More than 60 locations lower band offering is called 5G Nationwide. It
uses dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) meaning it
have received Verizon 5G can run alongside 4G LTE. Verizon says the service
Ultra Wideband” is currently available for more than 230 million
people across 2,700 cities in the US.
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Verizon Buyer’s guide
105
Buyer’s guide EE
EE
The network has brought 5G to the most UK towns
EE 5G was the first to launch in the UK, with the UK’s second-biggest
network clearly intent on being in the box seat for customers
wondering what network to choose. BT now owns EE, of course,
Above: EE’s 5G is available in more towns and BT Mobile is actually an MVNO working on EE’s network. As
and cities than any other network provider
in the UK part of this, BT has also launched a combined 5G mobile and home
broadband plan called BT Halo which offers unlimited data and
calls on mobile and at home, something also offered by Vodafone
Together. BT has also launched Hybrid Broadband, normal fibre
which is backed up by cellular, but this is 4G not 5G at present.
EE has now stated that it aims to have 5G across at least 90
percent of the UK by 2028 (measured by landmass) and it will do this
by combining low band spectrum into the mix.
Indeed, it has already begun to roll this out. The network is set to
launch its new 5G core network in 2023 at which point EE says that
its 5G network will cover around half of the UK’s population.
EE has form for using big-name music stars to promote 5G - it
held a gig with Stormzy on the River Thames to promote the launch
of its 5G network and, of course, EE also sponsors the Glastonbury
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EE Buyer’s guide
© EE
“EE demonstrated the robustness of its 5G network by
streaming a 360-degree augmented reality Bastille concert”
Festival each year. EE also streamed a 360-degree is the arm is being controlled by a barber 250
augmented reality (AR) Bastille concert from miles away in London, who just happens to be
Birmingham New Street station to Edinburgh and joined by EE advert regular Kevin Bacon. The ad is
Liverpool. Members of the public in the latter two designed to showcase a situation where you’d be
cities could watch the gig on devices provided in a bad way if your network let you down.
by EE reps including the Samsung Galaxy Fold EE has been named as the UK’s top network in
5G and some AR glasses. AR visuals surrounded independent tests by RootMetrics. The UK-wide
the band, adding to the experience. And recently, aggregate median download speed was over
EE used the Galaxy S21 and its 5G installation at twice as fast as that of any other UK network at
Wembley Stadium to stage the world’s first 5G AR 58.8Mbps. However, what’s more interesting for
Foosball tournament between Gareth Southgate us here is 5G performance. Here EE took top spot
and other well-known football figures. in RootMetrics Everyday 5G rating. This is basically
EE also launched an ad showing a slightly a rating based on availability plus speed and
over-the-top depiction of what’s capable with 5G, reliability. The network’s highest availability is in
shaving Lucifer actor Tom Ellis being shaved by a Birmingham, where it covers just shy of 65 percent
robotic arm on top of Mount Snowdon. The catch of the city.
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Buyer’s guide EE
© EE
© EE
109
Buyer’s guide Virgin Media O2
Virgin Media O2
Despite launching later with a smaller slice of the 5G
spectrum, the network is rapidly gaining ground
© Getty Images
Virtual Network Operator) customer base
including Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and
Lycamobile, O2 manages a total of 34.1 million
connections. O2 owns Giffgaff outright while
Tesco Mobile is a joint venture with Tesco). Tesco rollout,” said Mark Evans, O2’s CEO. “5G offers
Mobile has also now launched its 5G service in critical support to the UK’s digital economy,
the same locations as O2. supporting jobs and growth.”
The two networks again worked together
VIRGIN MEDIA O2 5G COVERAGE after the second UK 5G auction in early 2021 - the
O2 and Virgin may have merged, but O2 is two reached a deal to trade spectrum bands to
close to another mobile network - it has a long- create more efficient blocks of spectrum for each
standing network-sharing deal with Vodafone. operator. “Large contiguous blocks support faster
The pair’s agreement for the rollout sees 2,700 speeds, lower latency and greener 5G services,”
sites in 23 larger UK towns and cities keep said Vodafone and O2 in a statement. “The move
separate provision for each network. So while the will, subject to approval from Ofcom, create a
mast will remain shared, all the other equipment contiguous block of 80Mhz for O2, and ensure
will be separate. That’s presumably a matter if good proximity of Vodafone’s blocks totalling
control and also, possibly, ensuring each retains 90MHz of spectrum.”
a competitive edge. As 5G becomes the norm, it Mark Evans, CEO of O2, added: “This year
will also help each to bring 5G services to areas O2 is investing more than ever in its network
where it may not have been financially viable to improve coverage and experience. Securing
otherwise. “We’re moving at pace with our 5G contiguous blocks of spectrum is crucial to
harnessing the true power of 5G - we will have
the strongest indoor and outdoor connectivity
and an ultra-reliable frequency.
“O2 is a champion for coverage and reliability,
and remains committed to responsibly and
securely improving the network experience for
all our customers across the UK. This deal with
Vodafone is further evidence of our commitment
to customers and we’re hugely excited about the
possibilities of our 5G network.”
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Buyer’s guide Three
© Three UK
Three
After something of a delay, Three’s UK 5G phone
network is now live
Three 5G was later than other networks to roll out in the UK, but
it is now neck-and-neck with other key networks in terms of the
Above: Three UK is claiming it’ll have the number of locations covered, even if Three’s footprint in each
UK’s fastest speeds thanks to its spectrum
allocation. location is currently fairly modest. The network claims it now has
Right: Three’s 5G is available in 154
over a million 5G customers. Three also has a very limited home 5G
locations across the country with more
expected to roll out soon.
broadband service in operation.
Three has just undergone a refresh of its brand as it prepares to
do battle with other vendors in the competitive 5G market. There’s
a new tagline, too; ‘Life needs a big network’ and a new, warmer
colour scheme to go with it.
Three has the UK’s fastest 5G network because it currently
has more spectrum than the other UK operators. The bottom
line, however, is that the network believes it can “provide peak
mobile speeds of up to 2x faster than other telco operators due
to its substantial 5G spectrum holding.” However, the spectrum
allocations have been somewhat balanced out as a result of the
112
Three Buyer’s guide
Vodafone
With unlimited tariffs and roaming on 5G, the
network is looking to topple some of its rivals
The best 5G phones are hoping to deliver on the Price is becoming more of a consideration,
hype we’ve been hearing about 5G long before though, as phone makers start to offer 5G phones
the new networking standard even launched. that cost less than £600/$600. These don’t have
With every major carrier having launched 5G the premium features found in flagship phones,
in some form, the focus is now on 5G-capable but they also won’t put a £1,000/$1,000 dent in
handsets and whether it’s worth making sure your wallet.
your next smartphone can connect to the new If you’re in the market for a smartphone this
networking standard. year, the time is right to start looking at a 5G phone,
The answer so far? You can get blazing speeds, especially as lower-cost 5G phones are starting
provided that you’re in an area with 5G coverage. to appear and more 5G flagship phones arrive.
But 5G phones have more to offer than just Moreover, given by the time you read this 5G
speedier downloads. iPhones should have finally arrived on the scene,
Initially, the best 5G phones offered there’s no longer any reason fans of particular
outstanding cameras, big displays and super-sized ecosystems can’t get involved.
batteries. That’s no surprise really, since many of 5G networks are only going to get faster and
these phones are really just the best phones overall, more extensive, so it’s worth making sure your next
only with 5G modems included. phone can make the most of them.
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The best 5G phones Buyer’s guide
The best
5G phone
right now
How we test 5G phones
To test phones with 5G
connectivity, we take them
out into the field to measure
download speeds with the
Speedtest.net app. When possible,
we compare that speed to a
comparable phone on the same
wireless network to try and gauge
the improvement that 5G has to
offer. We also take note of how
the phone performs when 5G
coverage isn't available.
Because so much of that
5G performance hinges on the
wireless network and not the
phone itself, though, we give
greater weight to the criteria by
01. Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus which we judge all phones. We
Screen Size: 6.6 inches | Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 run an array of benchmarks on
Size / weight: 157.5 x 76.2 x 7.6mm / 195g | Battery life (Hrs:Mins): 9:46 every phone – both synthetic
benchmarks as well as real-world
5G networks supported: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Vodafone, O2, EE, Three tests like transcoding a 4K video
to 1080p and timing how long
Samsung's Galaxy S22 Plus is the best 5G phone you can buy right it takes. Our lab also measures
the brightness and colour
now because it works on every type of 5G network. The Snapdragon accuracy of each phone's display.
8 Gen 1 processor that makes 5G connectivity possible also delivers Our proprietary battery test
performance that can match any Android phone. determines longevity on a charge
by endlessly streaming web pages
The biggest mark against the Galaxy S22 Plus is its price. At over an LTE network; we then
£949/$1,049, this is not a device for those on a budget. But you get recharge the tested phones to
a lot of phone for that hefty price. The Dynamic AMOLED screen see how quickly they charge in
15-minute intervals.
lets you opt for a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and more To measure camera
immersive gaming – just be aware that the faster refresh rate can performance, we shoot images
drain the phone's battery at a faster clip. Samsung has also made under a variety of conditions,
comparing the results to photos
improvements to the rear cameras, with the 50MP dual pixel lens produced by cameras in the same
standing out with its super-crisp zoom shots. price range.
You'll be able to find cheaper 5G phones, especially the more For 5G phones, we also
consider the price of the device
recent releases, but only the Galaxy S22 Plus offers a great balance compared to comparable 4G
between features and price. handsets on the market.
117
Introducing 5G The best 5G phones
02. iPhone 13
While keeping the
Screen size : 6.1 inches Processor: A15 Bionic notch and multi-camera
system of the iPhone 11,
Size/weight: 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm / 174g the 13 takes design cues
from the more angular
Battery life (Hrs:Mins): 8:25 | 5G networks iPhone 4
Up until now, the best 5G phones have been pretty A52 is also available. While the Galaxy S22 may be
bulky to accommodate the larger batteries and 5G less expensive than the Plus and Ultra versions,
modems required for the faster networks. But the you're not getting short-changed with this model,
Samsung Galaxy S22 is relatively compact. You're as the phone features camera improvements to its
not going to mistake this device for an iPhone three rear lenses, including a telephoto lens with a
SE, but the Galaxy S22 is just over 6 inches tall 3x lossless zoom.
and weighs just 167 grams. You still get a 6.1-inch Meanwhile the fact that the phone comes
AMOLED screen capable of a 120Hz refresh rate for running Android 12 out of the box with Samsung’s
smoother scrolling. superb One UI 4 skin on top means interacting
At £769/$799, this had been the most affordable with it is a sheer joy. Throw in some genuine
5G phone you could get from Samsung. The gaming chops thanks to its impressive GPU and
phone maker has since released the Galaxy A53 5G, plenty of internal storage space, and it is easy to see
which costs £399/$449. A 5G version of the Galaxy how this phone delivers the complete package.
119
Buyer’s guide The best 5G phones
04. OnePlus 9
Screen Size: 6.55 inches | Processor: Snapdragon 888 | Size / weight: 7160 x 74.2 x 8.7mm / 192g
Battery life (Hrs:Mins): 10:51| 5G networks supported: T-Mobile, Verizon, Three, EE, Vodafone
When money's no object, turn to the Galaxy S20 Zoom works really well up to 10x. A huge 5,000
Ultra for your 5G phone needs. It may have a price mAh battery means you'll get through the day on
tag as expansive as its 6.9-inch OLED display, but a single-charge.
the S20 Ultra also boasts plenty of features for its The Galaxy S20 Ultra works with every kind of
£1,199/$1,399 asking price. 5G network so you needn't have to worry about
That display has a 120Hz refresh rate for a much which model to get for which carrier. The phone's
smoother, immersive experience when you're price means it won't be for everyone, but people
scrolling or gaming. The quad-lens rear cameras who do splurge on the Galaxy S20 Ultra will be
take excellent pictures, and the powerful Space satisfied with the result.
121
Buyer’s guide The best 5G phones
This is the first ‘Pro Plus’ handset in the range, point truly is something bold and bizarre: the rear
and it boasts a few features that we don’t see in the of the phone changes colour in sunlight, going
average smartphone. This is a seriously impressive from a sparkly blue to bright red. We love how
device that shows us that ‘Pro Plus’ isn’t just an weird this is - even if it brings no tangible benefits.
oxymoron, it’s a promise. If you know Realme But while you might check out the phone for this
phones, you’ll know that the brand excels in the eye-catching novelty, you’ll stay for its solid range
budget to mid-range market. The Realme 9 Pro of features and specs.
Plus is just more evidence of that. The phone’s cameras, charging speed and
There are two unique features that, it seems, processing power are all above-average for
are meant to be the Realme 9 Pro Plus’ selling a phone in this price range. Even the weaker
points. The first is a heart rate monitor built into elements, like the display or battery, are still on par
the device’s fingerprint scanner. The second selling with rival phones at this price.
122
The best 5G phones Buyer’s guide
The Sony Xperia 1 III is the best smartphone this is the world’s first 4K 120Hz smartphone –
the company has made for years, offering a top-tier although that claim isn’t quite as impressive as it
display, great battery life and a versatile camera sounds, as Sony is currently the only brand making
that’s easy to use. Inside the phone are a Qualcomm 4K phones. That 120Hz upgrade makes this screen
Snapdragon 888 chipset and 12GB of RAM, which better than ever though, with super-smooth
we found delivered impressive performance, and scrolling the icing on the ultra-high resolution cake.
you’ve got the option of 256GB or 512GB of storage. There’s no denying that the price of the Xperia 1 III is
That’s plenty of power, and more than enough high, and the 21:9 aspect ratio design will put some
storage space for the average user. off, too. But if you want a highly capable smartphone
Sony is making a song and dance about how with a superb screen, this may be the phone for you.
© TechRadar
123
Buyer’s guide The best 5G phones
The OnePlus 9 Pro is a culmination of the expect from a flagship smartphone right now.
company’s efforts over the past couple of years, This is a handset that can genuinely compete with
and it’s the first time a smartphone from the the very best phones from the biggest brands.
company has felt like the complete package. However, it also comes with a high-end price tag,
It offers top-end power, a great camera and there’s no denying that the OnePlus 9 Pro is an
experience and all the bells and whistles you’d expensive choice for your next phone.
The OnePlus 9 Pro has a premium design,
with a 6.7-inch QHD display that delivers strong
“The OnePlus 9 Pro has a brightness levels and top-notch detail, while a
smooth 120Hz refresh rate adds to the top-tier feel.
premium design, with a The handset itself may be too big for some,
6.7-inch QHD display that but the design feels worth the money, with a glass
rear and the choice of three colors to ensure that
delivers strong brightness your new OnePlus matches your style – we think
levels and top-notch detail” the Morning Mist shade pictured throughout this
review is particularly good-looking.
124
The best 5G phones Buyer’s guide
© OnePlus
“This is an amazing package that OnePlus has put together
for the price”
OnePlus first made its name offering very good 128GB of storage, and 5G thrown in. That’s not to
phone specs at very good prices, and it’s back in that mention the sharp, bright 6.43-inch display, which
groove with the OnePlus Nord 2. While its phones zips along thanks to its 90Hz refresh rate.
have slowly become more expensive over the years, Compromises have been made to get the
the Nord is a fantastic mid-ranger. OnePlus Nord 2 to this price, however: there’s
Starting at just £399 in the UK (the US has its no wireless charging or waterproofing, and the
own version, the Nord N200 5G, which retails for camera and battery life are good rather than great.
$239), you get a powerful Media Tek Dimensity All in all though, this is an amazing package that
1200-AI processor, at least 6GB of RAM, at least OnePlus has put together for the price.
125
Buyer’s guide The best 5G phones
Note 20’s
stylus offers
precise writing
and drawing
on the screen
The Galaxy Note 20 offers a nice compromise and the cameras stack up well against other top
for people who want a full-featured 5G phone flagships. Like the Note 20 Ultra, the Note 20
without the four-figure price tag. At £949/$999, includes an S Pen, and while the stylus is more
the Note 20 isn’t inexpensive by any means, but responsive on Samsung’s pricier phablet, you still
you do get a lot for your money, including a get all the note-taking features on this model.
device that works with all flavours of 5G. If there’s one thing to be wary of with the
The Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset inside Note 20, it’s the battery life, which is perhaps
the Galaxy Note 20 delivers some of the best below average. Still, that’s one of the few marks
performance you’ll see from an Android phone, against an otherwise outstanding phone.
126
The best 5G phones Buyer’s guide
Verdict
Ultimately, the Galaxy S22 Plus
may well be the 5G phone to get
if you want a handset that works
with every kind of 5G network.
In addition to its 5G connectivity,
Samsung’s plus-sized flagship
phone also sports a big Dynamic
AMOLED panel, vastly improved
cameras and above-average
battery life. It just edges the more
expensive Galaxy Note 20 Ultra,
though gamers should consider
that phablet for its compatibility
with Microsoft’s streaming game
service. The standard Samsung
Galaxy S22 offers a lot of the same
features, only without the hefty
price. If you want something
11. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra even more affordable and don’t
Screen Size: 6.9 inches | Processor: Snapdragon 865 Plus mind missing out on some of
the premium features then the
Size / weight: 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm / 208g | Battery life (Hrs:Mins): 10:15 Galaxy S21 FE would be worth
5G networks supported: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, EE, Vodafone, Three looking into.
If you’re UK-based and looking
for a bargain phone that acts
premium, you could do a lot
“It’s the gaming aspect of the Note 20 worse than the OnePlus Nord.
While Samsung and OnePlus
Ultra that makes it one of the best” are dominating the selection of
5G phones thus far, don’t overlook
Realme’s 9 Pro Plus.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is Samsung’s most versatile big-screen If you’re not a fan of Android
devices then you’ll need to decide
phone, and that includes its approach to 5G. This 6.9-inch phablet between the choice of iPhones
works with every available 5G network, and its dynamic 120Hz currently available. The iPhone
display adjust the refresh rate to squeeze more battery life while also 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13
Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are
delivering smoother scrolling and more immersive gaming. all 5G capable, your decision will
It’s the gaming aspect of the Note 20 Ultra that makes it one ultimately come down to how
of the best 5G phones, and not just because it runs on a powerful much you’re willing to spend on
a device.
Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra works with
Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming to let you play more than
100 Xbox games on your phone. With 5G connectivity, gameplay
should be a delight.
You’ll pay a bit more for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra than you
would for some of Samsung’s other 5G phones, like the Galaxy S20
Plus. But you’ll find it’s well worth the premium price.
127
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