Author: Paul Gillin, Computerworld Technology Correspondent |

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A few weeks ago, I noticed that the signal strength indicator on the smartphone has switched from a 4G network to a 5G network. Judging from the narratives I have seen from telecom operators in the past few years, this should herald a huge leap in performance.

In fact, nothing has changed.

Search for "Why is 5G so slow?" On Google, you will find that many others have had the same experience. The United States is currently stagnating the transition to 5G services, in stark contrast to the high expectations that operators have been hyping up: a new era of mobile experience transformation in the fields of games, video, and augmented/virtual reality, all with 5G .

In fact, for people who do not live in metropolitan areas, at least three to five years, the situation is unlikely to change much.

Operators have good reasons to sell the potential of 5G: they have spent billions of dollars buying the necessary spectrum to provide services. But they also raised unrealistic expectations about how quickly and how significant the returns will be.

It is important to understand that there are actually three different types of 5G-low-band, mid-band, and high-band-which have very different performance characteristics. The low-band network is built on the existing 4G LTE, and the speed is slightly faster. In fact, some testers found that they were actually slower. The advantage of the low frequency band is that it can cover a wide area, so fewer new cell towers need to be built. When you see those large nationwide 5G coverage maps, you will know that most of them are in low frequency bands.

The IF network provides a balance of performance and coverage, providing a clear performance trend. However, not all operators have obtained enough IF spectrum licenses to cover a large number of customers. T-Mobile is currently considered to be in a leading position.

The high frequency millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G spectrum is the source of all excitement. It is within the stratospheric spectrum and can achieve extremely fast speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, making it a viable alternative to hard-wired networks and wired Internet. The high-band 5G signal can also be divided into multiple virtualized and independent logical networks, which support multiple users on the same signal.

But scope is an issue. High-band service requires antennas to be separated from each other as little as one-tenth of a mile. The signal is also easily blocked by trees and walls. This means that building the necessary infrastructure in all areas except the densest urban areas in the United States is a long and complex process.

From the sea to the shining sea

Part of the problem is the absolute physical area of ​​the territory to be covered. The decentralized nature of US infrastructure also requires wireless operators to negotiate antenna placement contracts with multiple utilities, municipalities, and owners. Most importantly, the content delivery network must upgrade its infrastructure to handle the increased capacity and speed.

So don't hold your breath and wait for high-speed 5G to come to your door, at least don't use the amazing performance you can rely on. Speedcheck.org is currently ranked 20th in the 5G median speed in the United States, and South Korea surpassed our relatively weak 48 megabits per second at a rate of nearly seven to one. The median in some European countries is also more than twice as fast as the U.S.

Most importantly, I hope that public cellular data networks will combine all three types of 5G frequency bands and their 4G and 3G predecessors for a long time to come. When you enter the limits of a big city, you may get a performance boost, but when you leave, it will drop.

The more interesting potential may be behind the firewall. Due to the limited coverage of high-band 5G, private entities such as universities and stadium owners can use the spectrum to provide services in designated areas. For example, the owner of a football stadium can provide a custom video source to fans in their seats without connecting to the operator's network. Combined with the Wi-Fi 6 standard currently entering the market, this may create some interesting use cases that completely bypass telecom companies.

This does not mean that you should postpone the purchase of a 5G compatible phone or laptop. The price difference is small, and you may be able to enjoy faster performance before the device wears out. But remember, building a nationwide network infrastructure is a laborious process. For the people who live in Putney, Vermont, I recently spent a two-week vacation there. If there are any cellular signals, it would be an improvement.

Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc.

Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc.