5G networks are the next generation of mobile internet connectivity, offering faster speeds and more reliable connections on cellphones and other devices than ever before.
Combining cutting-edge network technology and the latest research, 5G should offer connections that are multitudes faster than current connections, with average download speeds of around 1GBps expected to be the norm soon.
The networks will help power a huge rise in Internet of Things technology, providing the infrastructure needed to carry huge amounts of data, allowing for a smarter and more connected world.
With development well underway, 5G networks are expected to launch worldwide by 2020, working alongside existing 3G and 4G technology to provide speedier connections that stay online no matter where you are.
The 5G networks being planned right now will operate in a high-frequency band of the wireless spectrum—between 30 GHz and 300 GHz, in what's known as the millimeter wave spectrum. These millimeter waves can transfer heaps of data at very high speeds, but they don't travel as far as the lower-frequency waves used in 4G networks. High-frequency millimeter waves also have difficulty getting around walls, buildings, and other obstacles.
That's partly why some 5G participants, like Qualcomm and Intel, are experimenting also in the sub-6 GHz range, as a way to supplement fickle millimeter wave signals with something more stable. Like everything else 5G, that's still very much in the earliest days.
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