5G communications technology has reached an advanced marketing stage in the United States, as companies operating the sector are promising technology revolutions.
Despite this marketing boom, the deployment of the necessary infrastructure and tangible uses is still in its early stages.
Jefferson Wang, director of 5G strategies at Accenture, says this new technology "could generate $ 1.5 trillion in US gross domestic product in the next five years."
The first models of phones operating with this technology for high-speed communications were released in mid-2019 by Samsung and Huawei. And Apple joined this race last fall.
Fifth generation technology is widely spread in new phones, but this does not mean that users will be able to download videos at a speed of 1 gigabit per second, unless they subscribe to Verizon and are in the right city and the right neighborhood at the specific point of the street.
This company chose to invest initially in millimeter waves, which are the fastest, but they do not extend for long distances and are affected by various types of obstacles (including walls and rain).
Internet speed
Rival T-Mobile and AT&T, on the other hand, rely on the low and medium band. The lower it is, the higher these waves provide coverage, but at a lower speed. The spread expanded in 2020, but some bidding invitations are still underway.
However, that did not prevent AT&T from naming its improved 4G network "5GE" two years ago. This marketing strategy has received widespread criticism from consumers who possess ultra-modern mobile devices with the "5G" logo, but without the speed of communication befitting this name.
Alejandro Holkman, vice president of "Qualcomm" company, the manufacturer of electronic components, said on the sidelines of his participation in the Las Vegas Electronics Show in its virtual version last week, "Today we are recording 4K videos on the smartphone and we want to publish them immediately on the Internet."
"This is impossible with the fourth-generation technology, as it is like driving a Ferrari in traffic jams," he added.
Verizon President Hans Vitzburg recently announced plans to launch 5G service at 28 American football stadiums this year. Spectators will be able to follow the matches while choosing different angles for the live camera and follow up information about the players with augmented reality technology.
But an analyst in "Creative Strategies" Carolina Milanesi says, "There is no need for 5G technology for that, as it is enough to have wireless Internet access." Even with the fourth generation. But that is not attractive enough. "
18% of Americans are offline
In a first stage, the fifth generation would enhance the contrast between the city center with extensive network coverage, and the countryside where the coverage is weak, even with the 3G technology. "18% of Americans do not have any access to the high speed Internet," John Benny, consultant at Elemental Content, said during the Las Vegas fair.
The uses of this technology will initially be directed to industrialists, with private fifth-generation networks used to power so-called "smart" factories, for example.
On the other hand, dazzling consumers will be a more difficult task, especially in light of the proliferation of advanced applications, video games and voice assistance services in phones.
In the long term, however, 5G technology may facilitate the emergence of what is known as edge computing, meaning that more connected accessories equipped with artificial intelligence technologies will be able to directly process our data.
Also, surveillance cameras will be able to do face recognition operations directly. "It will be possible to identify a criminal in an airport crowded with hundreds of thousands of people," says Alejandro Holkman.
It appears that the scientist has emerged from the nodes of gathering technical characteristics into one device to enter the nodes of distribution of features, according to Accenture. It will no longer be necessary to carry your phone everywhere, as watches, smart speakers and other accessories may do the trick.
