5G is coming to Ghana. This article will help us to understand what 5G technology is and its expected utility in our daily lives.
What IS 5G?
5G is primarily a software-defined network. This means that while it won’t replace the use of cables entirely, it could replace the need for them, by largely operating on a cloud instead. This will allow it to have 100 times the capacity of 4G, dramatically improving internet speeds.
For example, to download a 2-hour film on 3G takes about 26 hours. With 4G technology it should take about 6 minutes. With 5G the movie would be downloaded in about 3.6 seconds.
Response Times will be Much Faster.
But it’s not just internet capacity that will be upgraded with the introduction of 5G. Response times will also be much faster. The 4G network responds to our commands in about 45 milliseconds (0.045sec). With 5G, it would take around 1 millisecond (0.001sec). That is 400 times faster than the blink of the eye.
Smartphone users will enjoy a more streamlined experience. For a world that is increasingly dependent on the internet just to function, a reduction in time delay is critical. Almost everything is about the internet now. To understand what 5G is and its expected utility in our daily lives, we can confidently say that Internet response time on 5G will be much faster.
5G will make Progressive Innovation functional.
Self-driving cars, for instance, is a very tangible example of an innovation that clearly demonstrates why and how imperative the role of 5G is in innovation and global advancement in many fields. This is because some new technologies can only be properly introduced to the mainstream public when paired with 5G technology.
Self-driving cars require a continuous stream of data. The quicker that information is delivered to vehicles that have no human being driving it, the better and safer they can run. 5G technology will spark an industry that will grow 3 folds by 2025, linking and controlling not just robots, but medical devices, industrial equipment, and agricultural machinery. This is yet another means by which 5G technology is expected to be utilised in our daily lives
5G will provide Personalised Web Experience.
Here is another way that 5G will be expected to be utilised in our 5G will also provide a much more personalised web experience using a technique called network slicing. Network slicing is a way of creating separate wireless networks on the cloud, allowing users to create their own bespoke network.
Personalising the internet will also benefit businesses.
At big corporate events, like the ones that happen at Movenpick and Kempinski all the time, there is always a massive influx of people that congregate in one area using data-heavy applications. But with 5G, organisers could pay for an increased slice of that network, boosting the internet capacity, and thus improving the attendees’ overall online experience.
So when can we start using 5G?
Well, in Ghana, not yet. I’ve read some rumours but nothing conclusive. South Korea and the United States have already started the service. In the US, as the first half of the year came to a close, every major cellular network was officially offering 5G services to its subscribers. But the 5G coverage is not across the whole of the United States. 5G was created years ago. It has been talked up ever since because of all of its amazing applications. Yet it is estimated that even by 2025, the network will lag behind both 4G and 3G in terms of global mobile connections. Why?
5G requires higher costs to set up.
5G’s mainstream existence faces multiple hurdles. The most significant of these, of course, is cost. According to some experts, 5G could cause network operators to tear up their current business models, in order for the introduction of 5G to make business sense.
However, for 5G to work properly, it would need a frequency with much bigger bandwidth. This would require brand new infrastructure and its accompanying costs.
Some analysts believe that the extensive building and running costs will force operators to share the use and management of the 5G mobile network. It is already happening. This has been less of an obstacle for countries like China.
Ghana and 5G
The mobile networks have called for the acquisition of a 5G spectrum, in line with the continuous evolution of the communications industry worldwide. It is interesting that while Ghana operates the 4G network but not all networks are on it.
The Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, was spot on when she asserted in February this year that “It is only a matter of time before connected 5G devices will be on our streets and homes, and we have to look and plan ahead and look at the kind of infrastructure we need to put in place to support this evolution taking place.”
She again said in March, “All the major equipment manufacturers are deploying the 5G offerings currently. There’s a 10-year evolutionary cycle between the various levels of deployment of spectrum. So we are on the verge of transitioning from 4G to 5G. It will take a while before it trickles down to our part of the world but I’m excited that we are working with Nokia to begin the trials. I’ve asked Huawei and they have said that their 4G equipment is scalable through software upgrades and so it’s 5G ready.”
So 5G is coming!
Obviously many of us will have our first 5G experience through our smartphones. 5G could even change how we get the internet at home and at work, because the wireless network will replace the current system of phone lines and cables.
It may not happen overnight, but 5G is coming!
About Author
Maxwell Ampong is the Group CEO of Maxwell Investments Group, an International Trade and Business Development Solutions Provider. He is also the Property Investment Consultant for Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate Ghana. He works with a team of motivated professionals, governed by industry experts with experience spanning over a century. He writes about trending and relevant economic topics, and general perspective pieces. LinkedIn:/in/thisisthemax Instagram:@thisisthemax Twitter:@thisisthemax Facebook:@thisisthemax Website: www.maxwellinvestmentsgroup.com Email: maxwell@maxwellinvestmentsgroup.com Mobile: 0249993319
