Should You Upgrade to 5G This Year?
5G is the fastest, most reliable mobile network an individual can subscribe to right now. Companies like Verizon and Sprint agree, which is why they’ve rolled out their 5G technology in major cities across the United States. While it possibly won’t have a major effect on your life today, 5G is a glimpse at the future of mobile connectivity. If you’re keen to learn more about 5G and whether you should upgrade to it this year, keep reading.
Carrier Coverage
Mobile carriers, like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, have been rolling out 5G coverage in urban and suburban areas. However, because Carrier A relies heavily on C-band and mmWave frequencies while Carriers B and C have a less concentrated network, Carrier A will see slower speeds with more limited coverage.
Verizon and AT&T expanded their 5G networks on low-band and shared spectrum, but these networks are not yet complete. When using a 5G smartphone in major cities, users generally have the same coverage, but when they travel outside of those cities and into suburban or rural areas, they might see a drop in signal quality.
Speed Upgrades
Fifth-generation wireless networks promise to provide faster speeds while maintaining connectivity when many users access the network at once. This is accomplished by deploying spectrum in the mid-band and high-band frequencies. The higher the frequency, the faster the available speeds, but there is a tradeoff: such frequencies tend to travel shorter distances. More base stations with greater coverage need to be deployed to ensure users continue to receive service, even when many are connected.
5 G Development
Most high-end flagship phones currently support the bands necessary for 5G service, although these devices tend to be expensive. Even if you bought a Galaxy S20Plus last year, you would still lack support for the C-band. This shortcoming isn’t necessarily a major concern for most people but may be important for those who wish to take full advantage of 5G capabilities. Beyond that, no one knows exactly how long it will take carriers to develop their C-band networks.
5G Is Still a Good Investment
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have each leapfrogged one another to claim 5G milestones, with T-Mobile claiming 300 million people have been covered. This coverage includes the mid-band spectrum and C-band. If you’re looking to buy a great new Android phone or if you’ve waited long enough for fifth-generation support, get a 5G model now.
