Will 5G replace DSL and Cable Internet?

With advancements in how we stay connected via the internet rapidly being deployed year by year, there’s a new competitor in the arena who packs tons of staying power. 5G is a new wireless connectivity technology that boasts blazing fast speeds and ultra-stable network connections. All of these features if proven to be sustainable could signal the end of more arcane technology such as DSL and cable internet.

With existing forms of high-speed internet requiring a physical connection to your home, many people are still located in areas that cable providers don’t service. This is mainly due to the cost, infrastructure, and logistical issues of building new fiber optic networks and signal towers throughout the country.

With a 5G network, no physical wiring or cable installations are needed which makes it very convenient for providers to expand network coverage without huge costs. 5G networks operate by using a stationary access point known as an FWA (fixed wireless access).

This station replaces the need for a direct to ground connection via wire installation and beams an internet signal directly to your home. 5G networks also run much more smoothly when compared to their counterparts due to their low-latency.

Low-latency is another way of saying a network that uses less friction to create digital communications. Existing networks run at higher frequencies to deliver internet to your modem however 5G uses low tension signals to deliver faster speeds.

Essentially 5G networks allow data to flow more smoothly and uninterrupted which is why speeds are so fast. Computer geeks and developers know that even the fastest wireless cable internet plan today can’t compete with the speeds that a wired ethernet connection provides.

This is the reason that in larger buildings using multiple computer access points you’ll commonly find that all of them are connected via an ethernet cable. While 5G mobile networks show huge promise, there is still a lot of research to be done in order to confirm its sustainability.

When using the term 5G, it’s important to clearly distinguish the difference between 5GHz Wi-Fi and 5G cellular networks. Both are essentially fixed connections that provide speeds faster than 2.4GHz network bands.

The odd part about this comparison is that while “5G” networks provide faster speeds, 2.4GHz networks are able to offer users further reach. This is due to the fact that 2.4GHz network bands penetrate physical matter much easier than 5GHz frequencies.

With all of this being said, 5G networks are undoubtedly the way of the future for mobile telecommunications. However, when it comes to home or office access for those who demand lots of bandwidth pre-existing options like ethernet still provide some advantages.

We still have a long way to go before 5G completely takes over telecommunication networks across the country. There are still many end-point issues that5G presents which need to be sorted out before we see a full implantation of the technology.

Device compatibility is one of the biggest issues facing 5G, a device must come with built-in hardware capable of running 5G to take advantage of the technology. This will take time due to the fact that phone manufacturers and other tech companies aren’t currently releasing 5G compatible devices.

5G still holds tons of promise especially for the mobile device sector, security protocols and service availability for 5G are still in discussion as well. With all of this being said, 5G may very well replace high-speed cable internet and DSL one day however that day is still far in the future.