The world around us is changing, more than ever since the advent of 4g and 5g which happens to be on a rise as off late. And as the world draws closer to 5g technology – expected to “dramatically” change the world – there are some misconceptions, some concerns too, rising alongside. In an interesting article by CNET.com, some myths have been busted regarding the up and coming 5g technology and its expected evolution.
Is 5g going to make 4g phones obsolete?
As more and more people are transitioning to 5g in US, UK and Australia, the users of 4g are concerned whether their precious phones are soon to going to be obsolete. Well that’s not true, partially, because while you will definitely need a 5g supported phone to upgrade your internet access, your 4g phone will work perfectly well on the existing network. So as long as you don’t want to switch to 5g, you can continue using your 4g on the same phone set.
Is 5g going to take over 4g?
When 4g came it kind of took over the existing 3g. But that’s not going to be the case with 5g. According to a GSMA Intelligence report (pdf), 15% of global mobile connections will be on 5G by 2025; alongside during the same time period 4G LTE usage will be about 59% — an increase from 43% in 2018. So while 5g is on a rise, it is not likely anytime soon for it to take over 4g.
Fun fact:
As more people leave 4g to join 5g bandwagon, 4g lanes will become more spacious. Hence you might find better internet speed on your existing 4g as well after there’s a huge population shift to 5g.
Is 5g going to be more costly?
As of now, cellular networks in US are offering 5g plans at more or less the same prices as 4g. They claim to continue doing so in future as well so more and more people can avail the 5g services. While this concern is invalid as of now, one cannot be certain of the future of 5g pricing.
As per CNET, “LTE didn’t cost any more when it first came out; you just needed to buy a new phone. But pricing models do change over time. Since 4G launched, carriers both took away unlimited plans and brought them back.”
5g isn’t pricier than 4g right now, but will it be the case always? Tech experts don’t think so.
Is 5g going to be a cause of cancer rise?
Here it gets interesting. Due to 5g’s exponentially higher radiation levels, it is widely speculated that 5g will be a major cause of cancer in the world as it exposes more and more people to dangerous rays. Many a times, studies are quoted which relate cancer rise to the existing mobile phones’ radiations and the higher risks that 5g and other advanced devices would contain.
However, as per health experts, while 5g is likely to be one of the meager causes of cancer (or not), it is many other devices, technologies and products that we are exposed to on daily basis that are more likely prone to cause cancer. Some of these products arevdiesel fuel, aloe vera and pickled food that are otherwise considered harmless but do have cancer linking tendencies.
Is 5g going to revolutionize the world?
Yes, largely yes! 5g is going to be massive change factor in health industry as it will help doctors and surgeons connect with a broader population and medically intervene at a faster pace. Live virtual surgeries – where the doctor performs medical procedure from another location on patient in a distant area – will become a reality as 5g due to its high bandwidth, quick responsiveness and low latency will allow such technological advances to take place.
Alongside, paramedics, fire brigades, and other emergency responders would also be enabled to live track the calamities through their 5g network, and thus the world around us would transform for good.
Will 5g make the dream of driverless vehicles possible? Tech experts think it’s a long way to go. While it’s not a completely ridiculous idea, the quest to achieve the dream is still a far fetched one in terms of the required advancement on vehicles manufacturer’s part.
