Telecom companies are pushing 5G harder than any other communication innovation right now and for good reason. 5G will enable users to experience mind-boggling internet speeds which they couldn’t have even dreamed off only a decade ago.
However, while there are lots of benefits to this technology and most of them are speed related, for many users the newest in Internet developments is not such an interesting proposition as it is made out to be.
Sure, people can watch Full HD streams without any glitches and gamblers can play at online casinos without missing a spin or a roll of the dice. This is without a doubt something which Twitch, Netflix, and Amazon users as well as gambling aficionados would welcome, but is there really anything so groundbreaking in this technology?
Most people that we talked to said that while the technology will certainly be beneficial to all users, it is nowhere near as innovative as 4G or even 3G were when they first entered our reality.
3G Changed the World
This is because both 3G and 4G created a real disturbance in mobile technology when they were first introduced. While 3G looks incredibly obsolete these days, it enabled decent speeds for most of its users two decades ago.
The technology marked the shift from the desktop computer to the mobile phone as the primary point of Internet access, and even though it is unimaginably slow for today’s standards, 3G dramatically changed the world it entered into.
This is not something which can be said of 5G. The 5G technology does not take us away from our existing mobile devices. It only makes what we already do, faster.
4G is fast enough
And therein lies the problem. 4G is already fast enough for most users. It is quick enough to meet their everyday needs and is even a little quicker than they actually need it to be. It is perfectly adequate for all private users and they would be hard pressed to find any fault to this existing technology.
In addition to private users, many companies are also claiming that they are content with continuing to use 4G technology. And if the 4G network is enough to satisfy the needs of big organizations, then there is no reason for them to rush into implementing a technology which they don’t even need right now.
5G Will Never Completely Replace 4G
However, with all of this being said and done it has to be noted that in five to ten years time 5G will take over from 4G. This doesn’t mean that the shift from 4G to 5G will happen quickly.
In fact, a recent study found that almost 30 million Americans still use 3G. That is 1-in-5 citizens of the most developed country in the world access the Internet via a network which many Telecom companies will tell you is obsolete.
It is to be expected that something similar will happen with 4G and 5G. Intense marketing will play a major role in directing people towards the new technology, but many users will still be quite content with their 4G devices.