5G is finally here. Sort of. Almost. Some UK cities are already enjoying the breakneck speeds, but the rollout still has some way to go. Businesses don’t need to wait for 5G to arrive in their city before they start planning for it. In fact, now is the perfect time to brush up on what 5G is and what it means for users.
How Fast Is Fast?
5G is fast, and we mean fast. Anyone old enough to remember 3G, 2G, or, dare we say it, WAP will know that mobile data connections have improved dramatically over the last couple of decades. Since gaining access to much faster and more advanced infrastructure than ever before, the way that we use our mobile devices has changed accordingly. It wasn’t long ago where the thought of watching a 1080 HD video over a mobile data network seemed absurd, but today this is an everyday occurrence for many people.
5G represents a generational leap over the 4G infrastructure that preceded it, but just how fast is it? Well, 4G, which is what most people are used to, has a theoretical speed limit of 100 megabits per second (Mbps). 5G, however, has a theoretical limit of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps), making it 100 times faster than 4G’s theoretical limit.
Transfer Large Files On The Go
These blistering speeds will be game-changing for many businesses, making it possible for them to send and receive huge volumes of data while they are on the go. Consider the example of a business that produces videos for their clients. Using 4G infrastructure, it is possible to send an HD video over a mobile data network, but it is a less-than-ideal setup. With the speeds and bandwidth that 5G offers, it will be trivially easy for these businesses to produce full HD videos on location and then send them back to clients over a 5G connection.
But even businesses that don’t need to send large files will benefit from 5G. Many businesses today utilize cloud infrastructure to enable workers to log in to the network remotely. Enabling remote working has made a significant difference in productivity in many businesses and can dramatically reduce their operating costs. Once 5G becomes commonplace, remote workers will be able to do much more than just login to the network, thanks to improved speeds and bandwidth.
Putting VoIP At The Heart Of Communications
Voice over IP communications are popular among businesses and for good reason. Switching to a VoIP-focused communications approach can enable businesses to reduce their communication upkeep costs while improving their reliability. It used to be that a dedicated phone line was a requirement for any business that wanted to be able to make and receive calls. VoIP seemed like the perfect solution.
But anyone who has used VoIP extensively will know that it got off to a rocky start. It’s only relatively recently that high-speed internet has become commonplace, enabling VoIP providers to push more data down the lines and improve audio quality.
5G looks set to be a game-changer for businesses that utilize VoIP. Not only because of the improved speeds but also because of a lower latency on the line and much more efficient packet prioritisation.
5G is going to change the way that we approach mobile data in much the same way that 4G did. Both businesses and employees will benefit from this shift in a number of different ways. There is no doubt that 5G is the future and that businesses stand to gain substantially from its rollout.