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5G versus 4G: How speed, latency and application support differ
5G wireless network technology is set to boost the bandwidth, capacity and
reliability of cellular broadband. Are you ready to leave your 4G world behind?
John Edwards
Network World
Jan 7, 2019 3:00 AM PT
You've probably already heard about 5G, the new cellular technology that's
poised to bring massive change to both mobile and fixed wireless data networks.
What you may be wondering is how 5G differs from 4G, the current cellular
network standard, and what benefits the new technology will bring both
enterprises and individual users.
To bring you up to speed on 5G's structure and capabilities, and how it
improves on 4G technology, here's a quick update:
What is 5G?
As the latest step forward in cellular network evolution, 5G will see untold
thousands of small antennas deployed onto cell towers, utility poles,
lampposts, buildings and other public and private structures. The technology,
which is designed to supplement rather than replace current 4G networks,
promises to accelerate cellular data transfer speeds from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps
and beyond, a massive boost that will make next-generation wireless competitive
with even the fastest fiber-optic wired networks.
Overall, 5G should significantly improve the bandwidth, capacity and
reliability of cellular broadband far more than previous generational shifts.
Major carriers are already formulating their 5G strategies. In the US, the top
four carriers—AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon—will begin rolling out 5G
networks in 2019 and 2020.
On the mobile phone front, Verizon and Samsung have partnered to make a 5G
smartphone they plan to begin marketing in the first half of 2019. Apple,
however, won't roll out its 5G phone until 2020. Inside homes and offices, 5G
technology is expected to provide serious competition to cable- and
telephone-based Internet service providers (ISP).
4G versus 5G performance
5G uses new and so far rarely used radio millimeter bands in the 30 GHz to 300
GHz range. Current 4G networks operate on frequencies below 6GHz.
Low latency is one of 5G's most important attributes, making the technology
highly suitable for critical applications that require rapid responsiveness,
such as remote vehicle control. 5G networks are capable of latency rates of
under a millisecond in ideal conditions. 4G latency varies from carrier to
carrier and cell to cell. Still, on the whole, 5G is estimated to be 60 to 120
times faster than average 4G latencies.
Over time, 5G is expected to advance wireless networking by bringing fiber-like
speeds and extremely low latency capabilities to almost any location. In terms
of peak speed, 5G is approximately 20 times faster than 4G. The new technology
also offers a minimum peak download speed of 20 Gb/s (while 4G pokes along at
only 1 Gb/s). Generally speaking, fixed site users, such as offices and homes,
will experience somewhat higher speeds than mobile users.
5G enterprise impact
Although 4G lacks the speed, capacity and flexibility necessary to fully
support a rapidly expanding array of innovative mobile and fixed devices, 5G
promises to seamlessly work with wireless sensors, vehicle-to-vehicle
communication technologies, smart traffic lights, smart energy grids, mobile
wearables, smart home devices and other cutting-edge technologies.
Most observers also expect 5G to help the Internet of Things (IoT) finally live
up to its long-promised potential. Since IoT applications typically need to
collect massive amounts of data from large numbers of devices and sensors, the
technology requires an efficient network for data collection, processing,
transmission, control and real-time analytics. 5G's high speed, low cost,
ubiquity and flexibility make it a strong choice for IoT networking.
5G also has the potential to make smart cities, another long-anticipated yet
largely unfulfilled technology, practical in real world settings. 5G's speed
and ultra-low latency will be crucial for supporting smart city applications
including public transit scheduling, crime detection and reporting, smart
streetlights and sensors that monitor things such as air quality, water use,
parking spaces, traffic flow, sewers and trash collection.
Within the enterprise, 5G is expected to lead to the development of a seamless
workplace IoT environment capable of supporting real-time collaboration between
people and devices. New augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)
technologies, connected between users via 5G, promise to allow real-time
anytime/anywhere collaboration on a wide range of tasks, leading to a more
effective and decentralized workforce that would be impossible to support with
4G networks.
5G is also expected to help bring a variety of telemedicine applications, such
as remote patient monitoring and care, into the mainstream. In a hospital
setting, the technology promises to allow surgeons to operate remotely on
patients anywhere in the world, something that would be impossible today given
4G's high latency.
5G's low latency is also expected to give cloud computing a boost, allowing
complex tasks to be handled in real time and giving both home and enterprise
users access to massive processing power and virtually unlimited data storage
at lower price points.
5G security concerns
With great power comes great responsibility. Although 5G isn't generally viewed
as less secure than 4G, there are concerns that the new technology's speed and
application support could create new security weaknesses that both service
providers and adopters will need to address.
The biggest worry is that 5G, by supporting new types of services, users and
devices, will increase the overall attack surface, offering attackers new ways
of entering and tampering with networks and workplace environments. Another
troubling concern is that 5G's higher data rate will open the way for more
powerful and effective Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Since a
DDoS assault harnesses together multiple devices to direct data toward a
targeted system, overwhelming it to the point of failure, higher data rates
could make such attacks more powerful and destructive.
The downside to 5G's improved IoT support is that larger networks offering
enhanced performance and functionality, such as edge processing, will become
attractive targets for attackers. Additionally, a new generation of 5G-enabled
mobile and fixed technologies will give attackers a wider selection of
potential targets, including autonomous vehicles, smart homes/cities assets,
and office, industrial and medical devices.
5G future
"Industry in general seems to be taking a generally sensible posture to 5G
hardware, software and networks, while keeping an eye on future innovation and
new use cases," observes Jon Zayicek, principal, IT risk and security, at
business and technology consulting firm Cask. "5G is early enough in its
lifecycle that risks can be managed and mitigated as adoption increases."
