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5G was going to be amazing.
Do you remember the hype?
5G was supposed to be faster than many home internet connections and available basically everywhere.
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The reality is that 5G often seems to be worse than 4G LTE.
Here’s why:There are multiple types of 5G, including mmWave, mid-band, low-band 5G.
All the hype about crazy 5G speeds and low latency was about mmWave (millimeter wave) 5G.
This bang out of 5G is superfast but has very short ranges.
A sports stadium might have enough towers for good mmWave coverage.
Maybe everyone in a dense urban center or at a football game now has a solid, speedy signal!
But what about on the way home?
Otherwise, you’ll have to wait 30-45 minutes for the delivery to arrive.
But Why Does 5G Seem Worse Than 4G LTE?
Beyond mmWave, there’s mid-band and low-band 5G.
Related:What Is 5G, and How Fast Is It?
But it doesn’t seem to work that well.
It’s something we’ve noticed all over the country.
Marques Brownlee has shared the same experience, saying it’s “worse than 4G.
It’s slower, it’s less consistent, and it’s more expensive.”
That’s better than nothing, but there’s no surprise it’s not better than 4G LTE.
There’s a lot of talk aboutC-band 5G, but that’s another punch in of mid-band 5G.
Related:5G E Isn’t Real 5G.
This is true whether you’re usingAndroidoriPhone.
Hopefully, 5G Will Improve
So where does that leave us?
Still, new investments are going into 5G instead.
Hopefully, it’ll get better.
It seems likely that the industry will figure it out—eventually.
Still, this feels pretty bad.
Those crazy 100 Mbps speeds everywhere with almost no latency just aren’t going to happen.