6 ms·

It's hard for me to understand why anyone is excited about 5G when most carriers aren't running full bandwidth 4G and have significant data caps. Although 5G ma

by leoh 8y ago

It's hard for me to understand why anyone is excited about 5G when most carriers aren't running full bandwidth 4G and have significant data caps. Although 5G may be fast in some markets, 5G on the whole just seems so pointless for consumers.

jjoonathan 8y ago
If new bandwidth / more bandwidth means new market entrants / more market entrants, it'll be great! I am sure that legions of lobbyists, politicians, and businessmen are working diligently as we speak to make sure that doesn't happen, but I want to believe.
- gruez 8y ago
  >If new bandwidth / more bandwidth means new market entrants / more market entrants, it'll be great! I doubt it. No one is going to build another network of cell towers just because new bandwidth is available
  - jjoonathan 8y ago
    If they can compete with cable internet they sure will.
- rayiner 8y ago
  Notwithstanding this supposed lobbying, we have four nationwide 4G networks—more competition than we have in putatively lobbying free markets like social media, search engines, and cell phone and tablet operating systems. The biggest roadblock to 5G is not lobbyists, but rather NIMBYs complaining about how small cells will clutter up the neighborhood.
  - slededit 8y ago
    To be fair, a little effort in aesthetics goes a long way.
  - jjoonathan 8y ago
    ...and one cable internet provider at nearly any given location.
xxpor 8y ago
I'm more excited about the low power aspects than the high speeds.
Gpetrium 8y ago
I think the importance of 5G is not only tied to the consumer wanting a faster internet. It is tied to potential advances in remote surgeries, automated cars, Amazon drone packages, VR for medical purposes, potential improvements in security, cuts in operational cost by the carriers, etc. It should be seeing similarly to advances in computer power throughout time, to some it makes little difference depending on the time horizon they are viewing, to others it allowed for machine learning to be used by a wider audience for example.
- jjoonathan 8y ago
  > potential advances in remote surgeries Whoops, truck drove by, there goes the signal!
  - noselasd 8y ago
    This is the difference between the ceo and the engineer, the ceo sees potential, the engineer sees problems. They're both needed.
    - wsgeorge 8y ago
      Hah, this is my exact experience! Anytime someone's painting the big picture, I'm running it through my head to see how feasible it is, what may go wrong, etc. While relevant, I find that predisposition limiting...
randyrand 8y ago
very low latency sounds nice. Especially for voice and video chat.
mcguire 8y ago
My understanding is that 5g is range limited, so those of us who are in non-urban areas are not going to see any benefit, and are likely to see reductions in service as 4g is de-emphasized (judging by Verizon in this area).
- rayiner 8y ago
  Move to an urban area? Non-urban areas are inherently expensive to serve with infrastructure, and as we become ever more infrastructure dependent, they become an inherently less efficient and desirable proposition.
  - watersb 8y ago
    Living in USA Moutain Time Zone, "move to an urban area" seems a very weird approach to address 5G range limits. Broadband wireless tech has generally helped to address last-mile connection with less infrastructure. But it is very often all or nothing; radio waves don't punch through rocky mountains. Covergage maps are theoretical at best, and won't feel very relevant when you have to go into your kid's bedroom and hold your phone out the window in order to place a call. Verizon is effectively a monopoly where we live, as its longer-wavelength coverage seems more forgiving of the canyon topography here. They continue to invest in infrastructure upgrades, but I don't know what aspects of 5G will be relevant in actual use in the near term.
rayiner 8y ago
In this day and age where a single page can be tens of MBs, high speeds can be useful even subject to data caps that prevent sustained downloading st those speeds. Also, data caps grew dramatically when 4G made more bandwidth available, and the same will happen for 5G. Verizon’s home 5G service has no data cap.
6nf 8y ago
Faster internet is ALWAYS welcome. On wifi, on cell network, always.
ksec 8y ago
If we stop think 5G as a "G" in Generation, and starting thinking it as improved LTE, an evolution rather than what many are trying to spin as revolution. From the point of average consumer is exactly what it is, improved Internet. 2G was about Voice, 3G was Voice + Data, 4G is all about Data. 5G is much improved 4G. Making Data Cheaper. >>when most carriers aren't running full bandwidth 4G and have significant data Time and Time again I have seen this everywhere in forums. In Reality is not like Telcos, MNO or Carriers what ever you like to call it, tries to limit your Data Cap. MNO are fundamentally limited by their capacity. There is roughly 10 to 20% YoY increase ( Depending on Nations ) in Mobile Data usage. There is a long tail of users just coming in from 3G to LTE and start enjoying the Mobile Internet. Since their Infrastructure don't improve their capacity 10%+ per year, that is why you have Data Caps and why your Mobile Network isn't getting faster. ( And may in fact be getting slower ). MNO reframing the 3G spectrum to LTE to help lessen the load, users upgrade to latest Smartphone with better features set to improve network efficiency usage, The faster you finish, the less time you are on the network. Another reason why MNO wants you upgrade to the latest and greatest Smartphone Once 5G reaches the current stage of 4G, you are likely looking at ~10 to 20x Capacity improvement. ( This is accounting for 128 x 128 Massive MIMO, Small Cell etc ) In theory this gives plenty of room for different MNO to compete, and should lower the price. In the long term, 5G should lower the cost per MB for everybody. That is assuming all else being equal, wages, lease, equipment, etc. In realty those prices are rising as well. But judging at the current climate we are at least 4 - 5 years away that happening. One being Cell Site infrastructure, despite what AT&T or Verizon wants you to believe, they are far from optimal. It will likely take another year of testing and tuning before widely deployed ( Or to be more precise, Switched on. Since most of the current Cell deployed are software upgradable to support 5G ). Second being 5G Smartphone will be expensive. Everything from Silicon to the Antenna are much more complicated. And as we know technology aren't dropping prices like they are used to. Third is Smartphone replacement cycle are now into 4 years. If you buy an Smartphone in the past 18 months, it wont be until 2022 before you might get a new one. And 5G Smartphone might still be expensive then, which causes delay it for another cycle.

by leoh 8y ago

jjoonathan 8y ago

If new bandwidth / more bandwidth means new market entrants / more market entrants, it'll be great! I am sure that legions of lobbyists, politicians, and businessmen are working diligently as we speak to make sure that doesn't happen, but I want to believe.

gruez 8y ago
>If new bandwidth / more bandwidth means new market entrants / more market entrants, it'll be great! I doubt it. No one is going to build another network of cell towers just because new bandwidth is available
- jjoonathan 8y ago
  If they can compete with cable internet they sure will.
rayiner 8y ago
Notwithstanding this supposed lobbying, we have four nationwide 4G networks—more competition than we have in putatively lobbying free markets like social media, search engines, and cell phone and tablet operating systems. The biggest roadblock to 5G is not lobbyists, but rather NIMBYs complaining about how small cells will clutter up the neighborhood.
- slededit 8y ago
  To be fair, a little effort in aesthetics goes a long way.
- jjoonathan 8y ago
  ...and one cable internet provider at nearly any given location.

xxpor 8y ago

I'm more excited about the low power aspects than the high speeds.

Gpetrium 8y ago

I think the importance of 5G is not only tied to the consumer wanting a faster internet. It is tied to potential advances in remote surgeries, automated cars, Amazon drone packages, VR for medical purposes, potential improvements in security, cuts in operational cost by the carriers, etc. It should be seeing similarly to advances in computer power throughout time, to some it makes little difference depending on the time horizon they are viewing, to others it allowed for machine learning to be used by a wider audience for example.

jjoonathan 8y ago
> potential advances in remote surgeries Whoops, truck drove by, there goes the signal!
- noselasd 8y ago
  This is the difference between the ceo and the engineer, the ceo sees potential, the engineer sees problems. They're both needed.
  - wsgeorge 8y ago
    Hah, this is my exact experience! Anytime someone's painting the big picture, I'm running it through my head to see how feasible it is, what may go wrong, etc. While relevant, I find that predisposition limiting...

randyrand 8y ago

very low latency sounds nice. Especially for voice and video chat.

mcguire 8y ago

My understanding is that 5g is range limited, so those of us who are in non-urban areas are not going to see any benefit, and are likely to see reductions in service as 4g is de-emphasized (judging by Verizon in this area).

rayiner 8y ago
Move to an urban area? Non-urban areas are inherently expensive to serve with infrastructure, and as we become ever more infrastructure dependent, they become an inherently less efficient and desirable proposition.
- watersb 8y ago
  Living in USA Moutain Time Zone, "move to an urban area" seems a very weird approach to address 5G range limits. Broadband wireless tech has generally helped to address last-mile connection with less infrastructure. But it is very often all or nothing; radio waves don't punch through rocky mountains. Covergage maps are theoretical at best, and won't feel very relevant when you have to go into your kid's bedroom and hold your phone out the window in order to place a call. Verizon is effectively a monopoly where we live, as its longer-wavelength coverage seems more forgiving of the canyon topography here. They continue to invest in infrastructure upgrades, but I don't know what aspects of 5G will be relevant in actual use in the near term.

rayiner 8y ago

In this day and age where a single page can be tens of MBs, high speeds can be useful even subject to data caps that prevent sustained downloading st those speeds. Also, data caps grew dramatically when 4G made more bandwidth available, and the same will happen for 5G. Verizon’s home 5G service has no data cap.

6nf 8y ago

Faster internet is ALWAYS welcome. On wifi, on cell network, always.

ksec 8y ago

If we stop think 5G as a "G" in Generation, and starting thinking it as improved LTE, an evolution rather than what many are trying to spin as revolution. From the point of average consumer is exactly what it is, improved Internet. 2G was about Voice, 3G was Voice + Data, 4G is all about Data. 5G is much improved 4G. Making Data Cheaper. >>when most carriers aren't running full bandwidth 4G and have significant data Time and Time again I have seen this everywhere in forums. In Reality is not like Telcos, MNO or Carriers what ever you like to call it, tries to limit your Data Cap. MNO are fundamentally limited by their capacity. There is roughly 10 to 20% YoY increase ( Depending on Nations ) in Mobile Data usage. There is a long tail of users just coming in from 3G to LTE and start enjoying the Mobile Internet. Since their Infrastructure don't improve their capacity 10%+ per year, that is why you have Data Caps and why your Mobile Network isn't getting faster. ( And may in fact be getting slower ). MNO reframing the 3G spectrum to LTE to help lessen the load, users upgrade to latest Smartphone with better features set to improve network efficiency usage, The faster you finish, the less time you are on the network. Another reason why MNO wants you upgrade to the latest and greatest Smartphone Once 5G reaches the current stage of 4G, you are likely looking at ~10 to 20x Capacity improvement. ( This is accounting for 128 x 128 Massive MIMO, Small Cell etc ) In theory this gives plenty of room for different MNO to compete, and should lower the price. In the long term, 5G should lower the cost per MB for everybody. That is assuming all else being equal, wages, lease, equipment, etc. In realty those prices are rising as well. But judging at the current climate we are at least 4 - 5 years away that happening. One being Cell Site infrastructure, despite what AT&T or Verizon wants you to believe, they are far from optimal. It will likely take another year of testing and tuning before widely deployed ( Or to be more precise, Switched on. Since most of the current Cell deployed are software upgradable to support 5G ). Second being 5G Smartphone will be expensive. Everything from Silicon to the Antenna are much more complicated. And as we know technology aren't dropping prices like they are used to. Third is Smartphone replacement cycle are now into 4 years. If you buy an Smartphone in the past 18 months, it wont be until 2022 before you might get a new one. And 5G Smartphone might still be expensive then, which causes delay it for another cycle.