5G network is the next generation technology after its numeric predecessor named 4G. It is supposed to provide overall better quality of network in the form of high-speed Internet, highly responsive network, and increased capacity.
Over the past few years, different devices that support the 5G network have been launched in order to support this network. There are more and more people who prefer to save time as well as a highly responsive Internet for their work and entertainment.
A lot of major carriers over the world provide their own variety of 5G services as well as their own method to transmit these frequencies across all networks.
Since a majority of the public is not informed much about the difference between the 4G and 5G networks, major companies have been known to promote their old technology run by 4G LTE services as 5G.
One such company is AT&T from the US. AT&T provided a false advertisement about using a new 5G service even though it was nothing but the previous generation technology. As expected, a rival of AT&T called Sprint filed a lawsuit against the company claiming that they were false advertising, and that ended up AT&T paying a monetary settlement.
People all across the world have been curious about the reasons why their 5G network has been slow. This blog will give you a closer perspective on the same question.
Why is 5G so Slow?
There are a few reasonable explanations about why the 5G networks are still slow and not up to the mark that it was claimed to be. Some of the reasons that 5G is slow are as follows:
1. Low-Band Carrier
5G service providers in the US have been known to utilize a low band carrier frequency generally ranging from 600 MHz to 850 MHz for the network. These frequencies can reach up to further distances from their towers but at the cost of their speed which is usually below 100 Mbps. This type of performance was already available in a stable 4G LTE connection.
2. DSS(Dynamic Signal Sharing) Use
There is another infrastructural reason which is due to the technology of dynamic signal sharing or DSS(Dynamic Signal Sharing) for short. Dynamic Signal Sharing allows the service providers to roll out 5G networks by utilizing similar frequency bands, as well as through similar hardware and equipment that was previously proven to be useful for 4G.
Even though the advantage is that no new equipment or spectrum bands are necessary for a 5G rollout, unfortunately, its performance is also only slightly different from the 4G network.
According to Verizon, which is another major carrier in the US, this is due to a mix of internal and external factors such as increased network congestion, utilization of legacy hardware, and, most of all, the dependency on low band frequencies.
Most carriers and service providers still claim to have some diversified variant of 5G service that works perfectly, but still, most users are not satisfied with the quality and performance of these networks compared to the claims made. Even if it is taken into account that these networks are relatively new and still under development, the progression in terms of the results has not lived up to the hype, and there is still room for a breakthrough.
Talking about breakthroughs, the 5G connection has still yet to outperform its predecessor of 4G LTE connections in a grand fashion.
A well-known app, Speedcheck, a benchmark for networks, stated that in almost 30% of cases, a 5G network showed very little signs of improvement over the 4G connection and, in some cases, even underperformed the 4G speeds.
In less than half of the cases, the speeds were noted to be slower than the 4G network. This is taking into account that it is believed 5G can offer 600 fold faster speeds than its predecessor connection technology and more than ten times the speed of its counterpart of an optic fibre connection setup.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that even though the 5G network has been launched in many parts of the world, the services of the network are not as strong as promised. 5G network has been slow at times and not as smooth and fast as promised.
Some of the reasons for it can be the carriers and service providers, who have been promising to provide a 5G network on the same 4G LTE technology, with just a little bit of upgrade.
It has been seen that with the competition increasing and the 5G network spreading all over the world, there has also been an improvement in the network. This is due to the increase in competition between the service providers.
Soon, you will be able to enjoy the fast and smooth services of the 5G network once it spreads all over the world.