More than a phone. The 5G cellular networks (which stands for the fifth generation) give us much more: a true telematic ecosystem, capable of broadening its operational horizons to the Internet of people but also of things. Autonomous driving, telemedicine that even becomes remote surgery, robotic factories where everything or almost everything will work thanks to 5g mini-networks, even our little handyman robot that follows us well placed in our pocket. The fact is that 5G has already arrived and promises to take off quickly. What it is, how much it costs, how it works, what it does and what it will do, where it already exists and how it will transform, what its possible side effects are. here are the main questions and their answers.
What are the advantages of 5G for telecommunications operators and users?
5G is both a new thing and a natural convergence of technological solutions already available: from robotics to artificial intelligence, from advanced learning techniques (deep learning) to tools for analyzing large amounts of data by putting them at the service of research and commercial strategies (big data and deep learning). This thanks to unprecedented performance in the transmission of data that travel in the air both in open spaces and in closed spaces. Bandwidth capacity and data transfer speed promise to exceed 10 gigabits per second (Gbps), 10 times faster than the fixed fiber optic connections that are entering Italian homes, with a latency (the response time to our commands) which promises to drop more than 10 times, to 1-2 milliseconds (end-to-end from 20ms to 5ms) and the ability to connect up to one million objects per kilometre square.
The impact of 5G on the life of citizens and companies? Amazing. With 5G, for example, it will be possible to buy and download the entire season of a TV series in less than two minutes. And wide open to all the applications that will arise, with relative business opportunities: new tools for the health system, for mobility, for city and safety management, for the means of information (the live video, for example, can be done without the typical delay of satellite connections, and at negligible costs).
Is all this already possible? And the roadmap?
Today the first tastes from Tim and Vodafone. Imminent debut for the other operators who won the tenders for radio frequencies: Wind-3, Iliad and Fastweb. In a few months the progressive diffusion, first in the big cities and then in the smaller towns. The performance? We are running in, but they are already abundantly higher than those of 4g networks. They promise to quickly rise to the dazzling levels promised by new technology.
Vodafone was the first to start it: on 5 June it opened the service in 5 large urban centres: Milan and 28 municipalities in the metropolitan area, Rome, Turin, Bologna and Naples. It promises to cover another 40-50 cities within the next year, arriving by 2021 in the top 100 Italian cities and major tourist destinations. Virtually simultaneously with the launch of Tim, which turned on 5G in Rome, Turin and Naples in the Universiade Village area. The promises: by this year the service will arrive in 6 other cities (Milan, Bologna, Verona, Florence, Matera and Bari), in 30 tourist centers, 50 industrial districts with 30 specific projects for large companies, with speeds of up to 2 Gigabits per second. By 2021 - Tim says - there will be 120 cities covered, 200 tourist destinations, 245 industrial districts and 200 specific projects for large companies, with a speed that will progressively increase up to 10 Gbps reaching 22% of the population.
Does our 5G mobile phone work abroad?
All the most advanced countries are busy rolling out 5G networks. In days Vodafone will begin to offer the 5G roaming in 4 countries: Germany, Spain, Great Britain of course with us for customers from other countries. Tim is already testing roaming in Switzerland and the Emirates, where the launch is imminent. England, Spain, Germany and Austria will follow by the end of the year.
Does 5G cost and will it cost more?
Depends. The 5G mobile phones already on the market are the high-end ones, and cost between 800 and around 1.000 euros. But the prices, for sure, will drop progressively, as happened for all cell phones of previous generations. And for now, at their debut, the first tariff formulas of the two operators who have already opened the service in Italy, here too, favor the high end of the market. The one that relies on more expensive tariff formulas in exchange for a large amount of voice and data traffic available. Vodafone does not include additional costs for the "top" offers already active, starting from the business ones (but it also offers 5G at no additional cost to those under 30 who have chosen the "Shake it easy" offer). For the others, 5G activation is foreseen at the additional cost of five euros per month. Tim is offering formulas that provide for 50 gigabytes to 100 gigabytes of monthly data available at costs between 30 and 50 euros, with the possibility of enabling many other contractual formulas for 5G with an additional 10 euros per month. But it is to be expected a rapid flourishing of offers tariffs, even very differentiated, as soon as the competition between operators gets underway. It must be said that the higher connection speed will lead to greater data consumption, with a faster depletion of the available gigabytes.
Is a 5g mobile phone compatible with 4g and 3g networks?
Yes. 5G devices, those already on the market (Samsung, Lg, XiaoMi, Huawei) and those to come, are and will be also compatible with 4G and 3G networks.
Will 5g also replace fixed fiber optic data connections?
Rather than replacing it, it is more correct to speak of an integrated use of the various connectivity technologies. The availability of capillary fiber optic infrastructure will enable the full realization of the benefits of 5G, accelerating the construction of radio station networks. At the same time, 5G cellular networks will make it possible to provide connectivity services comparable to fixed connections at high speed where the fiber does not yet arrive (FWA, Fixed Wireless Access).
Is it true that the dangers of electromagnetic emissions are growing?
The experts explain that in reality the new technology developed for the 5G antennas will allow, when fully operational, even a containment of the current level of emissions, thanks to the greater efficiency of the signal compared to the power emitted. It should be remembered that in Italy the electromagnetic emission limits are ten times more stringent than those already considered fully safe and recommended by the ICNIRP, an independent scientific body, taken as a reference by the European Union, the World Health Organization and many countries even non-Europeans. Furthermore, the installation of 5G systems follows the same rules and procedures envisaged for 2G, 3G and 4G systems, with the involvement of the Regional Environmental Protection Agencies precisely to always guarantee compliance with the limits.
In any case, the usual recommendations always apply. There is no scientific medical evidence on the harmfulness of mobile phones. We also talked about it FIRST online. But since the greater quantity of emissions comes from our mobile phone and not from the operator's radio stations (the decay of the signal follows the rule of the square of the distance from us) it is still advisable to use earphones or the speakerphone, avoiding keeping the mobile phone in the nightstand next to the bed when we sleep. Applies to all mobile phones, old and new.
If I want to know even more about 5G?
If you want to learn more about the technical characteristics of 5G mobile phones and related networks, looking to its future and its evolutions, and perhaps you have some technical expertise in the sector, you can find many things on the large network. Here are some indications.
To scrutinize the numbers of growth and business you can take a look at the site GSA, the association of technology suppliers or the German analyst site of The report of Statista. A glimpse into the future naturally comes from all major strategic consulting organizations, for example Deloitte. With 5G, the world will be populated by the "Internet of things" (IOT, Internet of things). How and when a study published on the web by GSMA, the association of global mobile phone operators.
