WIRED

This is the year that 5G will start to go mainstream. But what is it? And how does it work? The answers to the questions are more complicated than you'd imagine. Here's our guide to everything you need to know about 5G.

What is 5G and how is it different from 4G?

There are three key benefits of 5G data connections over 4G. First, it’s much faster than existing mobile data connections, just as 4G was a leap forward from 3G. The second big advantage of 5G is its reduced latency, which refers to the amount of time it takes to start a new connection. With 5G, this should be instantaneous, which will be of vital importance, particularly in supporting the development of connected, autonomous vehicles.


“5G dramatically changes what consumers can do on their phones and at home,” says Kevin Hasley, head of product at RootMetrics, which collects mobile network performance information. “With 5G we are going to see 4K and 8K streaming video with zero lag, real-time game play everywhere, the self-aware smart home, large and seamless video conference calls and mobile augmented and virtual reality experiences.”

The new technology should also be able to support many more connections than 4G towers, without a drop in bandwidth. This will become more important as devices with their own data connections roll out as part of the Internet of Things, and in busy areas such as stadiums or train stations at rush hour. “These will likely be areas where tests will begin first,” says Rob Baillie of Compare My Mobile.

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So how fast is 5G and what frequency does it use?

In short: it's very fast. In theory, a 5G connection should enable users to download a whole HD movie in about 10 seconds. At launch, 5G connections will be around five times faster than the best 4G networks, but eventually it will be possible to reach speeds of up to 100Gb per seconds between ten and 20 times faster than 4G.

“The areas where the average consumer will likely notice any real change in their network performance will be on uploads and downloads for streaming up to 4K quality and gaming,” says Baillie. “Manufacturers launching last year pushed hard on how handsets have been aggressively improving their capabilities for gaming to the point they are challenging consoles, and 5G has the potential to superpower the experience.” In time, fast and stable 5G connections will become a competitive alternative to home broadband.


Unlike the move from 3G to 4G, the roll-out of 5G requires different infrastructure, so new cellular masts will have to be built. A process that will take time. It will use a range of different frequency bands to strike a balance between coverage and capacity, but generally at launch it will use a higher frequencies than 4G, of 3.4-3.8 GHz. These frequencies are less cluttered and can carry information more quickly.

Time to download a high definition film 3G: more than 24 hours

4G: 3 to 8 minutes

5G: 50 seconds or less

Which countries are already using 5G networks?

The global race to introduce 5G networks is on. Limited trials in controlled environments have been taking place for a number of years, but this year is the first time the technology will begin to reach consumers.

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Arguably, South Korea is leading the world in getting 5G coverage to the masses. In April, SK Telecom introduced its first commercial network as Samsung launched its Galaxy S10 phone. The network operator says it has 34,000 5G-enabled base stations and has prioritised the networks in some of the country's biggest cities. Two other network providers in the country launched at a similar time.


A month after South Korea's network launched the country's Ministry of Science boasted that 260,000 people had signed-up to 5G. It added the total number of 5G base stations in operation had reached 54,202.

However, South Korea's statements about the network have been criticised internationally. Network operators in the US said the initial launch in South Korea was a stunt that had the date brought forward to beat the country's own efforts.

In the US, Verizon has launched a 5G network in both Chicago and Minneapolis. The network provider plans to roll-out coverage to more than 30 cities by the end of this year. In early tests journalists at TechRadar managed to get data speeds of up to 1.385Gbps on a 5G S10. It was possible to download the entire first season of Stranger Things from Netflix in 38.78 seconds using 5G, while the same download on 4G took more than an hour.

Before 5G networks started to officially be available, successful demonstrations of the technology took place at the Winter Olympics in South Korea, the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia and other locations.

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Where is 5G in the UK?

The first 5G network in the UK is set to be launched very soon. Network operator EE has announced the country's first service will start operation on May 30. The launch isn't going to be tied to one city location: London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester will all get 5G on the same day. The cities have all, unsurprisingly, been picked as they're some of the most densely populated areas of the country and will have the greatest chance of network uptake.

"This is Phase 1 of EE’s 5G rollout: a ‘non-standalone’ deployment focused on using the combined power of 4G and 5G to give customers the fastest, most reliable mobile broadband experience they’ve ever had," the company said as it made the announcement of the network availability. It further plans to upgrade its 5F offering in 2022 and 2023. To get 5G in the cities users will need a 5G-enabled smartphone. At launch, EE is supporting handsets from Samsung, OnePlus, LG, and Oppo.

EE may be the first to launch 5G in the UK but to do so, it had to beat Vodafone's launch date. Vodafone was the first to declare when it will start offering 5G – July 3 – and will probably be peeved by EE sweeping in and stealing its title. However, it is offering one more launch location than its rival.

Vodafone says Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and London will be the first areas of the UK where it will provide the network, with 12 other cities getting 5G before the end of the year. (There include Blackpool, Guildford, Plymouth and Wolverhampton).

Both EE and Vodafone are also releasing 5G home broadband networks. However, at launch they have both snubbed 5G phones from Huawei as controversies around its security continue to rumble on.

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The 5G phones you can buy right now

All the major smartphone manufacturers are working on 5G devices, including Samsung, LG, OnePlus, Motorola, Huawei and more. Many are set for launch in 2019.

After years of talk, the first generation of 5G phones are now starting to become available to buy. The market is still pretty light on 5G phones and as such every model that's able to connect at the higher-speeds comes with 5G included in its name.

Here are the phones we know are being supported with 5G in the UK at the moment: Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, LG V50 ThinQ, Oppo Reno 5G and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G. As an increasing number of network operators start to support 5G and manufacturers release a greater number of phones, there'll be more choice.

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