Does 4G still have a place in the market?

Following previous generations of mobile technology such as 3G, which led to the revolutionary launch of smartphones and 4G which provided faster browsing, 5G is now here to stay with the likes of Apple and other smartphone brands introducing it into their latest launches.

With all four major mobile networks already launching their 5G services and with an anticipated 1.5 billion users by 2024; does 4G still have a place in the market?

5G offers a faster wireless connection than previous generations, but it’s not all about speed. This latest generation also offers greater capacity, allowing thousands of devices in a small area to be connected at the same time.

Matched with the reduction in latency, 5G is also more responsive meaning millions of gamers will finally see an end to delays and improvement in controller responses, allowing for more accurate and controlled game play.

However the biggest difference goes far beyond changing the way we use smartphones and game consoles, it’s said 5G will bring new opportunities for innovative services.

This may be the biggest and most noticable difference between 4G and 5G. As 5G promotes a download speed of 10Gbps compared to the previous 300Mbps limit reducing download time by an average of 10%, meaning users will be able to stream media, interact with apps and play games without buffering or lagging.

5G is expected to deliver improved latency over 4G with the latest generation offering 1 millisecond compared to out dated 50 milliseconds (that’s 50 times better!).

Another difference between the generations is the increased capacity. With the use of higher frequencies (30-300 GHz to be exact) 5G will use larger bandwidths allowing for more capacity to use data.

Whilst there’s still uncertainty in the market about exactly how much 5G can offer in regards to technology, there's good news for the tech savvy users out there.

Apart from speed, the 5th generation virtually eliminates the short lag time between your device and getting a response meaning surgeons may not need to be in the same room as the patient in the future when performing surgery. With the likes VR headsets and special glove technology controlling a robotic arm, the surgeon could operate in another location.

Now if remote surgery doesn’t get your attention, then maybe this will! It’s believed by tech giant Ericsson that it will be possible to transmit tactile sensations when watching videos, revolutionising video user experience by enhancing the sight, sounds and touch of in-video footage.

This huge technological step, relies on extremely low latency which at this point in time only 5G can offer. Opening a gap in the market for a whole new immersive level of gaming and influencer lead content. It will be the first time in history that a network will be faster than you mind!

Although we already have self-driving technology in most of our cars nowadays, companies like Google and Uber believe it is possible to have fully autonomous cars with the power of 5G.

5G’s responsive network and extensive coverage means cars will be able to tap a 5G network to talk to other cars nearby and sensors built around the city to navigate.

With the likes of Apple and other tech giants taking a lead on launching the new fifth generation technology in their latest TV ads, it’s likely that all mobile phone providers and tech companies will be able to offer a full 5G service by the end of this year.