According to a recent article published by CNN, 5G is finally here and will be around to stay. The advantage of using 5G technology is that it delivers lightening fast internet speed up to 400 megabits per second. This is about 10 to 100 times faster than the current speeds offered by most 4G devices. While this is certainly exciting news for the average tech user, it has far-reaching implications for some serious tech advances on the horizon.
The bad news is that even though the technology for 5G seems to be fully developed, it will be extremely difficult for the average person to get access to it, at least in the near future. AT&T recently announced that it will soon be selling a 5G hotspot to customers, which will function like a home broadband router. Essentially, it will receive AT&T’s 5G signal and convert it into WiFi inside the home. However, this product will only be available for use in about 12 cities to start. Those who live outside those metro areas will not be able to purchase a functioning device. Other carriers have announced that they are manufacturing 5G smartphones, but those devices will not be available via regular retail channels until at least the second half of next year.
Carriers say that the slower than usual roll-out of 5G products is on purpose. They will need some time to make sure that the product functions as they think it will. It will also be important to measure customer satisfaction with the product to see if the devices need to be redesigned before they are manufactured and distributed more broadly. It would be a disaster of epic proportions to manage the bugs and troubleshooting for millions of 5G devices across the country without the field data to support how it should be expected to work. To manage customer expectations about the rollout, carriers are saying that they will take extra steps to ensure that only customers who live and work in cities where 5G will be tested can purchase devices.
If the projections on speed and reliability are correct, 5G will definitely be worth the wait. It promises to be an expensive upgrade for those eager to try it out right out of the gate. Most tech experts agree that there will be a significant cooling off period before 5G will be affordable for the rest of the population.
