A 5G network, the next step forward in cellular networking, is still a work in progress and probably won’t be commercially available until the early 2020’s. Earlier (though likely limited) deployments are also a possibility starting as soon as 2018. Experts have projected that the new 5G network will allow users to complete tasks previously unheard of while using a 4G network, including downloading videos in under one second.

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What Will 5G Look Like?
The shift to 5G is still years away and carriers have yet to produce a hard definition of what the new generation will include. However, it is safe to assume that the new cellular generation will be much faster and more dependable. In many cases, home Wi-Fi networks will be beaten by cellular data for both speed and reliability. It is also likely that 5G will be a shift towards wider bandwidths which will resolve issues of slower services and dropped connections caused by the crowded bands that mobile providers currently rely on.

According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance — a mobile telecommunications association — a 5G standard will provide a reduced latency (as compared to LTE), enhanced signaling efficiency, and data rates within the range of tens of megabits per second for tens of thousands of users, among other improvements. In addition, the networks will also likely include upgrades in order to meet needs for the Internet of Things and for lifeline communication services, such as flash flood warnings.

How Will 5G Work?
This improved network will operate within the millimeter wave of the wireless spectrum, also known as the high-frequency band. This means that users will be able to download or transmit data in less than a millisecond. While these waves allow for quick transfers of data, they often encounter problems overcoming physical obstacles such as buildings, an issue which carriers will likely address by installing more antennas. In order to access the perks of 5G, users will have to buy a new phone that will be able to support 5G.

However, despite predictions that 5G will be available by 2020, the reality is that the enormous financial burden and complexity of finessing this transition will cause significant delays in its universal availability. There are many obstacles standing in the way of this grand-scale upgrade. Two of the most crucial hindrances are: the necessary creation of new, high-frequency radio base-stations and the immense size of the investment needed to finance the implementation of 5G.

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Modern cell-phone technology functions on a radio frequency, transmitting your voice into an electric signal which is then transmitted to the nearest cell tower in order to reach the person you’re trying to call. 4G operates on a higher frequency than 3G, so naturally, 5G is looking at operating on the highest frequency yet. In order to achieve this, there would need to be a much higher number of available base-towers, so that the amount of cell users per tower would be proportionally divided with fewer people using one specific base at a time.

Right now, there are simply not enough base-towers with a strong enough spectrum of bandwidth. According to Mike Fries, of Liberty Global’s Virgin Media, it could cost taxpayers in England over 740 million pounds just to finance the equipment and licenses needed to create a sufficient radio spectrum.

Furthermore, Fries said that consumers are increasingly expecting to see low-priced smartphones and mobile devices on the market, which is stalling industry growth and keeping telecom and wireless operators from having enough funding to pursue establishing widely accessible 5G.

Peter White, Founder and Analyst at Rethink Tech Research, also spoke of the issue of “cell phone commodification,” stating that consumers now view the handheld phone as a daily appliance, as commonplace as a microwave, refrigerator, or car. Adversely, a cellphone with 5G connection would cost nearly $1,800 to build at the moment, and without the proper industry mergers and subsidized funding, 5G is simply too expensive. Both gave 2030 as a more likely estimate for 5G’s arrival.

AT&T isn’t the only company working on 5G technology — in fact, they were late to the game. After Verizon made the announcement back in 2015, stating that the company planned to have 5G available in 2017, AT&T dragged its feet. They cited a lack of standards (which won’t even be available until 2018), and resisted the 5G push.

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It’s hard for the mobile community to determine future needs, especially considering that 5G will be in use for a few decades. The 5GIC in Guilford (UK) opened in April 2015, and is focused solely on building 5G technology.

AT&T has since changed their tune. No one knows exactly what 5G will do for the world, but AT&T wants to be first. Considering that 2G allowed texting, 3G gave us internet access, and 4G brought about video, everyone is wondering what 5G will do.

5G Tech Has Potential

“New experiences like virtual reality, self-driving cars, robotics, smart cities and more are about to test networks like never before,” said John Donovan (AT&T’s chief strategy officer), in a statement. He believes that “5G will help make them a reality.”

AT&T says that its 5G networks will offer significantly faster speeds than 4G. They also believe there will be less lag between online actions. According to the experts, most of the world won’t even benefit from 5G, whatever it ends up being, until somewhere around 2020.

Some mobile tech experts warn that AT&T may be putting themselves at a disadvantage. What if they are able to offer the technology but nobody is ready for it? It’s the same thing that happened to Sprint back in the 2010s. They were the first US mobile carrier to offer 4G, but it just wasn’t fast enough.

There are a lot of unanswered questions. Will 5G drive up costs? How will 5G affect phone batteries? While waiting to learn the answer, make sure your Android smartphone battery is in tip-top shape. Install PSafe’s PowerPRO to see what apps are draining away all of your power.

3G Networks
This generation offered drastically more than its predecessors. It was able to handle a lot more data at once, and at the faster speed of about 2 mbps (megabits per second). This included the ability to browse web pages, watch videos, hear higher-quality audio, and use a variety of more complicated applications. 3G networks are still available and in use, especially if you have an older phone model that can’t support the latest network generation. You may even notice that your newer phone model will connect to a 3G network while in a more remote area. If you’re used to the speed of 4G, this can be a fairly miserable step back in time.

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4G and 4G LTE
The fastest cellular network currently available is 4G LTE, which is a more advanced version of 4G. LTE is short for “Long Term Evolution.” It offers an increased capacity and more speed than 3G and 4G networks, and can reach a download rate of about 40 mbps and an upload rate of about 15 mbps, depending on your phone carrier. In other words: your web pages will load faster, and you’ll be able to upload photos and videos to Facebook faster than ever. Perhaps even faster than on your current Wi-Fi network, which is pretty incredible.

5G is the Future
If 4G LTE is often faster than your home Wi-Fi network, imagine what 5G will include. A 5G network may eventually serve as a replacement for your home Wi-Fi network. Either way, it will definitely make your home “smarter,” considering all of the devices and appliances that need a wireless connection. Unfortunately, true 5G won’t be available until around 2018 at the earliest, or else by around 2020. But it will be worth the wait for an even faster network that can truly juggle each person’s multitude of devices at once. Not to mention its Ultra HD and 3D video capabilities, and the rumor that you’ll be able to download an HD movie in seconds. The future certainly looks impressive.