Technology Encyclopedia: Difference between 4g and 5g

The fourth generation of mobile connectivity started to make waves in the late 2000s. 4G made mobile internet speeds up to 500 times faster than 3G and allowed support for HD TV on mobile, high–quality video calls, and fast mobile browsing. The development of 4G was a massive feat for mobile technology, especially for the evolution of smartphones and tablets.

4G is now common throughout the world, but things are about to change again. The Internet of Things is now a real possibility and 4G will not be able to manage the huge number of connections that will be on the network. It is expected that there will be more than 20bn connected devices by 2020, all of which will require a connection with great capacity. This is where 5G comes into force.

With speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second, 5G will be as much as 1,000 times faster than 4G, the latest iteration of mobile data technology. 

 5G is widely believed to be smarter, faster and more efficient than 4G. It promises mobile data speeds that far outstrip the fastest home broadband network currently available to consumers. 

To give you a picture of just how fast 5G will be, Huawei estimates that the download time for an eight gigabyte HD movie will be just six seconds, compared with seven minutes over 4G and over an hour with 3G.

Low latency is a key differentiator between 4G and 5G. Latency is the time that passes from the moment information is sent from a device until it can be used by the receiver. Reduced latency means that you’d be able to use your mobile device connection as a replacement for your cable modem and Wi-Fi. Additionally, you’d be able to download and upload files quickly and easily, without having to worry about the network or phone suddenly crashing. You’d also be able to watch a 4K video almost straight away without having to experience any buffering time.

5G will be able to fix bandwidth issues. Currently, there are so many different devices connected to 3G and 4G networks, that they don’t have the infrastructure to cope effectively. 5G will be able to handle current devices and emerging technologies such as driverless cars and connected home products.

But it must remember that these scenarios are all still theoretical, and it will take a lot of investment by governments and mobile network operators to make them work. The security aspect of 5G also still needs to be figured out. With a greater number of users and improved services, 5G opens the door to a new level of threat. Governments and mobile operators must ensure they have the correct level of security in place before 5G can be rolled out.