5G: How ADB is Helping Change America’s Wireless Infrastructure

ADB has been hard at work with some of our nation’s largest wireless providers to help bring the groundbreaking 5G network to communities all over the country. 5G is on its way and it is going to change the way we use and understand technology forever.

What is 5G and Why is it Important?

5G is the fifth-generation mobile network that is set to enable a brand-new era of communication and accessibility. This network is designed to connect everyone and everything together, including the massive Internet of Things. It will also provide users with lower latency, greater stability, increased data capacity, and exponentially faster speeds. Some data shows that 5G speeds will be up to 500% faster than the current 4G LTE network.

So, what is this massive Internet of Things? The Internet of Things is the connection of any device to the internet and to each other. For example, in many houses today you will find smart refrigerators and other kitchen gadgets. The ability for these devices to be controlled from your phone from any location is what is known as the “Internet of Things”. Learn more about the Internet of Things here.

5G is much more important than just faster speeds on your smart phone. 5G is going to change everything from the way we interact with one another to the way we conduct business. The full capacity of these changes won’t be experienced for years to come, but they will support various industries across the world. Not only will 5G support 22.3 million jobs, but it will also contribute to $13.2 trillion worth of goods and services, allowing for an incredible impact on the global economy. You can read Qualcomm’s full 5G Economic Impact Report here.

It’s likely that when you hear 5G, you think of your smart phone. However, 5G will have a much larger impact – including Internet within homes and businesses. 5G will offer consumers incredible broadband speeds of up to 20 Gb per second and will allow businesses to grow in ways they never thought possible. Smarter devices, hyper-connect cars, groundbreaking medical advancements, and personalized retail experiences are just few small ways that 5G can change how we work, shop, and live.

How will 5G Improve Technology?

It’s been mentioned that 5G will improve speeds, but by how much? Right now, the current 4G speeds are about 20 Mbps. 5G will have speeds of 500 to up to 1500 Mbps. So, next time you get to the airport and realize you forgot to download a movie on Netflix for the flight, you will be able to download a movie in just seconds. With greater speeds comes greater capacity. 5G will be able to handle more devices in use within the same area. Picture yourself at your favorite sporting event with 50,000 of your closest friends. How many times have you tried to post a photo from the game, call someone, or check the scores of other games and nothing goes through? 5G will allow everyone at the stadium to connect to internet, livestream video, and make calls because the towers can not only handle more devices but are also much smaller. Due to the smaller size, 5G towers can be easily placed in various areas. For example, if a 5G tower is placed on every lamppost in a bustling city, more devices will be able to be utilized in an area for an extended period of time.

As we can see, 5G is going to revolutionize the modern world. Here at ADB, we are proud to be just a small part of that. You can learn more about ADB and our work here.