The development of 5G technology has marked a significant milestone in the evolution of mobile wireless networks. With its ability to operate on low-, mid-, and high-band frequencies, 5G is expected to enable new features like automatic lane changes and self-parking for autonomous cars.
The Development of 5G
A Milestone in Mobile Wireless Networks
The development of 5G technology has been a significant milestone in the evolution of mobile wireless networks. The first generation was analog, while the second and third generations were digital, with the latter giving digital networks a bandwidth boost and ushering in the smartphone revolution.
Availability of 5G
T-Mobile offers low-band 5G across the country, labeled as 5G Extended Range on its coverage map. Verizon offers low-band 5G across the country, labeled as 5G Nationwide on its coverage map. AT&T also offers low-band 5G coverage across much of the country and mid-band coverage in some cities.
The Future of 5G
The future of 5G is expected to help autonomous cars communicate not only with one another—a kind of “Hey, on your left!” set of exchanges—but also with the world around them. This could enable new features like automatic lane changes and self-parking.
A Global Wireless Standard
All cellular networks send encoded data through radio waves. Radio waves have different frequencies and are divided into bands. Previous generations, like 4G, operated on low- and mid-band frequencies, but 5G can operate on low-, mid-, and high-band (also known as millimeter wave) frequencies.
How Does 5G Work?
Different Frequencies for Faster Speeds
Lower frequencies can travel farther and penetrate through obstacles but offer relatively low speeds, while higher frequencies are much faster but have a limited range and struggle to pass through objects.
