Everything you need to know about 5G
Here is where you find 5G technology explained—how 5G works, why 5G is essential and how it’s changing how the world connects and communicates. Qualcomm invented the foundational breakthroughs that make 5G possible.
What is 5G?
A: 5G is the 5th generation mobile network. It is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. 5G enables a new network to connect virtually everyone, including machines, objects, and devices.
5G wireless technology is meant to deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users. Higher performance and improved efficiency empower new user experiences and connect new industries.
Who invented 5G?
No company or person owns 5G, but several companies within the mobile ecosystem contribute to bringing 5G to life.
Qualcomm has played a significant role in inventing the many foundational technologies that drive the industry forward and makeup 5G, the next wireless standard.
What underlying technologies make up 5G?
A: 5G is based on OFDM (Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing), a method of modulating a digital signal across several channels to reduce interference. 5G uses a 5G NR air interface alongside OFDM principles. 5G also uses wider bandwidth technologies such as sub-6 GHz and mmWave.
Like 4G LTE, 5G OFDM operates based on the same mobile networking principles. However, the new 5G NR air interface can further enhance OFDM to deliver a much higher degree of flexibility and scalability. This could provide more 5G access to more people and things for various use cases.
5G will bring wider bandwidths by expanding the usage of spectrum resources, from sub-3 GHz used in 4G to 100 GHz and beyond. 5G can operate in lower bands (e.g., sub-6 GHz) and mmWave (e.g., 24 GHz and up), bringing extreme capacity, multi-Gbps throughput, and low latency.
5G is designed to deliver faster, better mobile broadband services than 4G LTE and expand into new service areas such as mission-critical communications and connecting the massive IoT. This is enabled by many new 5G NR air interface design techniques, such as a new self-contained TDD subframe design.
What are the differences between the previous generations of mobile networks and 5G?
A: The previous generations of mobile networks are 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G.
First generation – 1G
1980s: 1G delivered analog voice.
Second generation – 2G
Early 1990s: 2G introduced digital voice (e.g. CDMA- Code Division Multiple Access).
Third generation – 3G
Early 2000s: 3G brought mobile data (e.g. CDMA2000).
Fourth generation – 4G LTE
2010s: 4G LTE ushered in the era of mobile broadband.
1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G all led to 5G, designed to provide more connectivity than was ever available.
5G is a unified, more capable air interface. It has been designed with an extended capacity to enable next-generation user experiences, empower new deployment models and deliver new services.
With high speeds, superior reliability and negligible latency, 5G will expand the mobile ecosystem into new realms. 5G will impact every industry, making safer transportation, remote healthcare, precision agriculture, digitized logistics — and more — a reality.
(Credit: Qualcomm)
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