Android, iOS & Mobile Phones

[Vince-BBY Social Media Specialist]

Every couple of years it seems, we hear about a new wireless technology for our cellular devices. Whether it be 3G, 4G, LTE, 64G (kidding!) and now 5G! Sometimes it’s hard to know the differences between these different technologies, and more so, how it affects our daily lives. We’ve compiled a lot of information on this new “5G”, and will try to keep this post brief, but also helpful!

Some of you may be asking, what is this “5G” technology that I’ve been seeing in the news, on TV commercials, and even on BestBuy.com? 5G represents the next generation of wireless technology. 5G delivers greater speed, greatly improved responsiveness, and the ability to connect more devices to each other at the same time, than 4G does currently.

5G networks are designed to carry data up to 10x faster than 4G networks. Another big win with 5G technology, is the reduced latency, which is the time it takes for the network to respond to a request. With such reduced latency, you’ll experience faster load times and improved responsiveness. One other important factor that is improved upon with 5G is the network’s ability to handle a larger number of users, devices, and traffic demands at the same time.

What this mean for you is that you’ll be able to download and stream movies and music much quicker than before, and can download HD movies in a matter of seconds, versus minutes before! As for the reduced latency, I’m sure we’ve all tried watching a TV show or movie via an online streaming service, and have at least once been faced with the worst thing possible, lag. Nothing is worse than something interrupting a late-night binge of your favorite TV show! One of the big causes of lag is latency, so with 5G, you shouldn’t have to deal with lag as much as before! Lastly, 5G’s ability to better handle a crowd, will help when you’re at a large sporting event, concert, in a dense city, or during peak usage times.  All times where you may have noticed your network slowing down or not working at all!

So, with a better understanding of what 5G is, you may still be asking yourself, “how will this will affect my life?” Put simply, 5G will transform how you live your life. The easiest way to think about it is to know that 5G is going to provide much faster speeds, and an overall more reliable wireless network.

Lastly, this post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t answer the question, “how and when can I get 5G?!” To answer this, we want to point out that 5G is currently in the process of rolling out nationwide, and major carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are all currently building their 5G networks. To learn whether or not 5G is available in your area, I will provide some links to Verizon, AT&T and Sprint’s 5G coverage maps below.

Verizon 5G coverage map

AT&T 5G coverage map (for this one, you will need to click on the “Available 5G Cities” link located in the map legend to view 5G coverage)

Sprint 5G coverage map

As far as hardware goes, 5G-compatible phones and other devices are beginning to be introduced. You can rest assured knowing that Best Buy will have the latest 5G-enabled devices that you’ll be wanting to get your hands on! I will also be including a link below to all of the 5G cell phones that we have to offer currently.

5G phones available at Best Buy

Finally, for more information about 5G. please feel free to check out our 5G Technology page on BestBuy.com.

Let us know how you’ll be enjoying the benefits of the new 5G networks in the comments!

[bobberuchi]

Smarter?

However, the major drawback to 5G is that range is shorter than 4G so the exisitng network of towers is not sufficient to provide the same coverage.  

However it is my hope that it wil drive down the price of Cable Internet.

[jamesjack]

5G and network slicing The rollout of 5G could help solve this issue because 'network slicers' are much more efficient as the network is divided to tailor the speed as well as coverage, capacity encryption, security, and speed by assigning resources from one 'slice' of the network to another 'slice' that needs it.In the same way, like each apartment in a building has an individual key that allows only authorized people enter the premises, each slice is dependent on a specific 'slice SIM, also referred to as the 'sSIM,' which will be stored inside the 5G SIM.

[HarshaniS]

5G can be significantly faster than 4G, delivering up to 20 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) peak data rates and 100+ Megabits-per-second (Mbps) average data rates. 5G has more capacity than 4G. 5G is designed to support a 100x increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency. 5G has lower latency than 4G.

[dark404]

And 5G is much needed theses days

[Dianaannu]

Its amazing content.