At present, there is no 5G network in India. However, mobile phone companies like Samsung, Oppo, Redmi, and Xiaomi are busy marketing 5G smartphones claiming that the 5G network will soon come to India. Therefore, customers shouldn’t worry because their smartphone will work properly on 5G networks. Unfortunately, this is not the complete truth.
We have heard it so often that one should not judge a book by its cover page. In the same way, why should you buy a 5G phone just because it is designed with the latest technology. Do you know whether the 5G phone you are buying will give you 5G speed or not? Therefore, some important facts should be taken care of while buying a 5G smartphone.
Do you know there are two things essential for a 5G phone? The first is 5G connectivity and the second is the availability of a 5G network. Currently in India, there is no 5G network. However, smartphone companies are still selling 5G smartphones giving the argument that the 5G network will be eventually made available, and users will have absolutely no problem operating their 5G smartphones. Let’s try to know the realities that those smartphone companies will never tell you.
What is 5G Technology?
Recently, I received a notification on Connects app that the Government of India has given permission for a trial of 5G technology. To make this possible, soon spectrum will be made available to telecom companies. 5G is the latest technology for mobile communication. This is the upgraded version of the 4G network. In 5G, users will get to see a better speed, less latency and more flexibility. Let us know about 5G in detail.
Earlier cellular technologies focused on connectivity, and 5G technology will take it a step further and connect users to the cloud. 5G will be able to regulate a single digital signal into different channels through a new process called OFDM. OFDM ensures that there is minimum interference in the signal.
The 5G network cannot operate through the 4G spectrum. It will require a 5GNR air interface for this. Besides, it will use technologies with higher bandwidth such as mmWave and sub-6 GHz bands.Coming to speed, 5G will have a higher speed than the 4G. The peak speed of 4G is up to 1 Gbps while that of 5G will be a maximum of 20 Gbps. To attain this speed, 5G can use any type of spectrum.
In this spectrum, all three are included as low band, mid band and high band. Therefore, it not only provides high speed connection but also better coverage. 5G is designed in such a way that it gives 100 times more traffic than the 4G network. Latency is also lesser in 5G, and can go up to 1ms.
Besides speed, 5G will be suitable for any place, and connectivity will be also faster. 5G technology will likely open fresh avenues for healthcare, virtual reality, and cloud gaming. According to Qualcomm, 5G has so far added $13.1 trillion to the global economy.
5 G Connectivity
Almost every mobile company is selling 5G smartphones, but they don’t reveal to their customers about how many bands their 5G phone supports. You should know that multiple 5G bands are compatible with a 5G smartphone. At present, the N78 is the most widely used band. It is assumed that the smartphone that supports maximum 5G bands is better than others.
Smartphones that support more 5G bands attain faster speeds but the majority of the smartphones in the market are offering 5G technology just in name. Companies like OnePlus and Realme are offering smartphones that support a single 5G band which implies that it does not fully offer 5G connectivity.
Software
For a good 5G smartphone, it is essential that the software of the phone also supports 5G connectivity. Companies like MediaTek, Qualcomm and Samsung manufacture processors that support 5G connectivity quite well. A different processor is being developed by these companies for 5G smartphones. Therefore, while buying a 5G smartphone, you must ensure whether your phone has a processor that supports 5G connectivity or not.
5G Bands
5G bands range from low to middle to high. The range of low 5G bands is between 600 and 850 Hz which gives a maximum speed of 250 Mbps. The high 5G band is known as mmWave that attains the maximum speed of 1 Gbps. Its range is on the lower side, and the network easily gets affected due to obstructions.The mid band 5G is known as sub-6 GHz. Its frequency has a maximum range of 6 GHz. It gives a maximum speed of 700 Mbps, which is many times higher than normal 5G speed.
What is the n78 5G band?
This band is part of the SUB-6 GHz band, which is quite popular in Europe and other Asian countries. Its frequency lies between 3.3 GHz to 3.8 GHz. It gives the fastest speed, and better coverage. However, a regular 5G network operates in the range of 3.3 to 3.8 GHz.