Myths and Facts About the Upcoming 5G Services

GUWAHATI: As mobile operators slowly roll out 5G services in different cities of the country, here are a few important points about the new technology.

The first doubt that a lot of people have is regarding backward compatibility. Phones with comparatively older technology like 4G and 3G will continue to work as they are now till the chosen operator decided to take the service down. Meaning that the existing phones and plans will still continue to work alongside the new 5G networks. Customers will be able to switch between the networks if they want to, with support from the service provider.

Next key point is that not all existing phones will support the new technology. The new networks will be accessible only on devices that have the necessary hardware and software to access the new communication spectrum. An important point to be mentioned here is that several phones including the Google Pixel have the necessary hardware, but drivers have not been provided yet. But the same comes pre-installed in several Chinese-made phones including One Plus and Redmi. But those without the necessary hardware cannot be upgraded to meet the new demands.

Thirdly, the prices of 5G-enabled phones are no different from the previous ones in terms of price, meaning that there are budget, intermediate as well as flagship products that offer this service. Thus it is the complete choice of the customer to select a phone as per his or her need.

Next, just like portable modems existed to work in 3G and 4G networks, new devices to support 5G will soon be available in the market. The previous modems might not work with the new technology.

The main advantage of 5G is that it enables speed communication with low latency. So it will help in speeding up all online activities ranging from gaming to OTTs. It will also enable the usage of IoT products in real time. Meaning that it will bring a revolution in terms of medicine, education, healthcare, and several other sectors. It will also enable Industry 4.0 standards.

And lastly, the equipment needed for setting 5G network can be mounted on both existing towers as well as roadside infrastructure.

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