5G, a world war

The first thing, that you may be wondering, what is the famous 5G. By definition, they are fifth generation networks. The first were the GSM networks, with which we began to use the first mobile phones. With the evolutionary step of technology and new advances, communication standards have been getting better, and with each revision, a generation increased, thus passing through 2G, 3G, 4G networks and now, we start with 5G. The flute is already playing with the 6G, but it is still in development.

5G, a world war

What does this technology offer us?

Fifth generation networks meet very demanding communication standards and reach blazing speeds , although not everything is a matter of speed, so are response times (latency) and attenuation margins with respect to the station to which we are connected.

The calculations, laboratory and controlled environment, stipulate that they can reach speeds of up to 10 Gbit / s in the high band, which is the one that includes frequencies between 25 and 39 GHz. In the case of the middle band, included in the spectrum between 2.5 and 3.7 GHz it can reach 100-900 Mbit / s. And the great advantage, the low band, comprises the same frequency as 4G, that is, between 600 and 850 MHz, yes, increasing the speed to 250 Mbit / s.

Each node or cell with 5G coverage will be equipped with 3 antennas, one for each band: high, medium and low.

One of its biggest disadvantages is the physical propagation of radio waves, since this is directly proportional to the frequency of emission. That is, the higher the frequency, the less spread. Hence the importance of fiber optic networks, necessary for the wide deployment of cells at each corner, even in street lights.

Evolucion de las redes 5G a lo largo de la historia

5G, running the world

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, although it may sound far away, a digital and geopolitical battle was raging between the US and China. You may think that this has little to do with 5G, but it is not.

China has some of the world’s largest connectivity equipment companies, such as Huawei or ZTE, providers of antennas and other equipment to hundreds of countries and other Internet service providers. For its part, the US also has its chores, since they have been investigating and using it for military purposes for some years. Yes, it can also be a lethal weapon.

For remote control of other equipment, network speed, security, latency, service interruption, etc. it is a subject of vital importance, since it will allow fighting battles from a distance. Drones, smart missiles and what we do not know, this is what the most powerful governments and companies in the sector always have behind their back. But why? Some governments consider it to be a matter of national security. In other words, if everything is going to be connected, the fact that it is a piece of equipment manufactured by a rival country in the technological race is not very safe, since they could supposedly have hidden access to those networks and access confidential information from governments or military strategies. A somewhat murky subject and that we will never know clear.

That is why the massive arrival of 5G to the population will mean a before and after in all those societies that implement it.

redes 5G mundiales

Big bets of the new networks

As we said, the coverage with 5G networks is going to suppose, in addition to a great technological deployment in some areas, the push for the development of some projects that had previously remained in the pipeline waiting for new technologies that would make their final development possible. and use.

This is the case of the new advances in remote medicine, since operating rooms with advanced robotics are being implemented and that can be controlled by a specialist doctor from anywhere in the world. This is thanks, in addition to the speed, to the latency. It is not the same to wait for a web to load, no matter how milliseconds, to the precision of having to brake a scalpel when making an incision.

Oh, don’t forget, the world of motorsports will also undergo some changes. For the nostalgic of us who like to drive and use manual gearbox, it may be sad news, but yes, 5G will power autonomous vehicles too. As in the case of medicine, precision in response times is essential.

The new technology at street level

At the level of people that we will probably never see something so sophisticated, we will also enjoy 5G networks.

The first infrastructures are already available in Spain and 5G mobile phones with the capacity to connect to them as well. So if you live in one of the big cities, you will be able to enjoy it very soon if you don’t already. As we mentioned earlier, fifth-generation coverage requires many nodes to serve a core similar to previous-generation networks, so deployment can take time.

Another factor is home automation. A little over 5 years ago, it seemed like a luxury the one that had a light bulb that turned on at nightfall, that would go off with a whisper or the blind that would be lowered by itself when noticing the presence of showers. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been a revolution, linked to that of voice assistants such as Alexa, Google Home or Siri.

Now we all (or almost) have an assistant at home and a couple of light bulbs to entertain us by turning on and off making a joke every time we have a visitor. Although they are no longer surprised, they surely have it too.

You don’t need 5G for this, but outside of it, 5G will make it possible to have more and more things connected to the network, to the famous clouds. Traffic cameras, traffic lights, streetlights, zebra crossings, automatic irrigation … endless possibilities, which, surely not all are discovered.

Is 5G dangerous?

Everything in excess is bad. That is what they have always told me. But when it comes to 5G networks, I will tell you that as long as a series of precautions are taken, you should not have any mishap or be in serious danger.

To begin with, we are already surrounded by hundreds of devices that emit all kinds of radio waves and in different bandwidths of the radio spectrum. This will be one more. If it is true that some studies say that the high band of 5G is capable of entering or passing through our body, since the waves are smaller than our pores. I don’t think we should worry, there is nothing proven either, for better or for worse.

peligros del 5G

All radio antennas, from GSM onwards, have a protective parallelepiped, that is, an area around which should not be accessed whenever the radio station is in operation. In order not to be directly exposed to this emission, which together with the antenna can be harmful. Although it is more a matter of precaution and safety at work than the medical aspect.

Have you ever stopped to think why a microwave doesn’t work with the door open? To heat what you put there, use a magnetron, which is a generator of waves, between 3 and 5GHz, with enough power to defrost and burn a block of steaks in a few minutes. Many people have one at home, we use it daily and here we continue, with 3 eyes, nothing strange.

In short, 5G networks are secure and have come to stay, at least for a while, although the flute is already playing with sixth-generation networks.