5G is coming to Chile to stay. After the bidding rules were announced, it is expected that by mid-2021 this technology could already be deployed in different parts of the country.
But what will it do? How can we use it? “As its name implies, this is a fifth generation network that will allow that speeds up to 20 times higher than that achieved with 4G are achieved “, explains Mauricio Sepúlveda, academic of Computer Civil Engineering at San Sebastián University.
“The 5G will offer a greater bandwidth, since it will support a greater capacity of data at high speed, because it uses radio frequencies that the 4G network does not reach,” he describes.
Likewise, it will be able to boost all mobile devices, for example, Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, wearables, mining machinery, among others.
This being the case, the first major change that Chilean residents will see will be the improvement of mobile broadband. “This implies that plans for mobile phones will appear with greater capacity to upload and download data per second, which will translate into greater speed. For example, in a few minutes you can download an HD movie on your cell phone, you can stream it in 4K format or manipulate a machine in real time “Sepúlveda says.
But since the changes are not magic, this step will also require an update of the users’ hardware. “Not all smartphones are 5G-enabled, but only the most modern ones like Samsung’s Galaxy S20 line or Huawei’s P40 line, which are the highest ranges and, therefore, more expensive; But these manufacturers are already announcing the incorporation of 5G in the mid-range, which is cheaper, ”says the academic. For its part, Apple has not yet incorporated it.
Internet of Things in all its splendor
The dream of seeing machines working “alone” may be possible with the arrival of 5G, since they will be able to “talk” with each other. This is what the Internet of Things (IoT) is all about and, as the USS expert explains, these communications will be ultra-reliable:
– There will be a very low latency, that is, a very low time for the signal to go to another device, going to only 2 milliseconds (ms), versus the 40 ms offered by 4G.
– 5G has very high availability, which means that it is more difficult for the connection to be lost or to drop.
– It allows a massive number of low-cost IoT connections (100 times more) and with devices that allow very long-lasting batteries.
– Much better geolocation, going from 50 meters offered by 4G to less than 1 meter with 5G.
– And wide coverage, both rural and urban, even within buildings.
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