Why in News:

• The Prime Minister inaugurated the country’s first indigenous test bed to help support the ecosystem around 5G.

What is 5G?

• 5G is next generation wireless network technology that’s expected to change the way people live and work.
• 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.

What are the benefits of 5G?

• The three major benefits offered by 5G are higher speeds, higher bandwidth and lower latency.

Where is 5G used?

• 5G is used across three main types of connected services, including enhanced mobile broadband, mission-critical communications, and the massive IoT. A defining capability of 5G is that it is designed for forward compatibility—the ability to flexibly support future services that are unknown today.
• Enhanced mobile broadband– In addition to making our smartphones better, 5G mobile technology can usher in new immersive experiences such as VR and AR with faster, more uniform data rates, lower latency, and lower cost-per-bit.
• Mission-critical communications– 5G can enable new services that can transform industries with ultra-reliable, available, low-latency links like remote control of critical infrastructure, vehicles, and medical procedures.
• Massive IoT– 5G is meant to seamlessly connect a massive number of embedded sensors in virtually everything through the ability to scale down in data rates, power, and mobility—providing extremely lean and low-cost connectivity solutions 

Speed

• Speed is one of the most highly anticipated elements of the 5G network which is expected to be nearly 100 times faster than 4G.
• Such high speeds are possible because most 5G networks are to be built on super-high-frequency airwaves, also known as high-band spectrum. 
• The higher frequencies can transmit much more data, much faster than on 4G.

Capacity

• The 5G network is expected to have significantly more capacity than 4G.
• This is because 5G will have greater bandwidth, meaning it can handle many more connected devices than previous networks.
• It will bring in an “internet of things” era, filled with connected toothbrushes, kitchen appliances, street lamps and more.

Latency

• Latency is the time it takes for devices to communicate with each other or with the server that’s sending them information. 
• Latency is already low with 4G, but 5G will make it virtually zero.
• It will be essential for technologies such as self-driving cars which require instant communication of huge data to ensure safety of its passengers.

How is latency different from speed?

A small but significant difference exists between speed and latency.

• Speed is the amount of time it takes to download the contents of a webpage.
• Latency is the time between when a text is sent to another phone and when that receiver’s phone registers that it has received a new message.

What Are the drawbacks?

• The high-band network signals don’t travel very far and struggle to move through hard surfaces.
• In order to compensate for those challenges, wireless carriers building high-band 5G networks are installing tons of small cell sites to light poles, walls or towers, often in relatively small proximity to one another.
• For that reason, most carriers are deploying 5G city by city.
• Significant adoption of 5G is going to take years — industry trade group GSMA estimates that by 2025, around half of mobile connections will be 5G (the rest will be older tech, like 4G and 3G).
• There are also concerns among regulators and others about the security of 5G, especially since crucial technologies such as self-driving cars and healthcare systems will be built on top of the network.
• As 5G services evolve to occupy higher frequencies, it will significantly increase the bandwidth available for mobile services. However, at these frequencies the design of the transmitting and receiving equipment becomes more complex. Signal attenuation also increases. So, the coverage area of each cell tower will decrease which will require the towers to be more closely spaced. 

How will 5G affect the global economy?

• $13.1 Trillion dollars of global economic output
• $22.8 Million new jobs created
• $265B global 5G CAPEX and R&D annually over the next 15 years
• 5G’s full economic effect will likely be realized across the globe by 2035—supporting a wide range of industries and potentially enabling up to $13.1 trillion worth of goods and services

Related Mains Question: Discuss how the 5G mobile network can help India transition to a more advanced digital revolution. Also, Suggest measures for overcoming hurdles in the implementation of the same.– https://bit.ly/3m5e1gj

Reference:

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/5g-under-the-hood/article65472964.ece