You may have seen the buzz about 5G and the impact it will have on our businesses as well as our personal lives.
What is 5G?
5G stands for “fifth generation mobile” and offers the next generation in mobile internet connectivity. It promises to deliver higher peak connection speeds and lower latency, or time delays than ever before.
Imagine download speeds of 20GBps!
Remember when you were at a major event and your texts would not send or social media posts not upload because there were too many people trying to use the network at the same time, or that dreaded buffering circle you get when trying to stream your favourite video? Well 5G promises to solve these problems by allowing more people to use high speed at the same time.
5G offers new handsets, smartphones and modems but it will also find its way into devices, machines, cars and sensors. The Internet of Things (IoT) will become a reality. 5G will provide infrastructure needed to carry huge amounts of data, resulting in a smarter and more connected world. How exciting!
There are three major improvements 5g will make:
- Faster network speeds. The network will be capable of 20Gbps but what you will actually achieve is dependent on how your network is configured, the number of devices on the network and the actual device you have. But be assured it will be as good as the fastest NBN speed as a minimum.
- Lower latency. The typical latency for the 4G network is around 60 milliseconds, 5G may go as low as 1 millisecond. This will have a big impact on the Internet of Things (IoT) where milliseconds can make big differences.
- More simultaneous connections. Not only will more phones be connected at one time but also the connection of autonomous cars, machinery and Internet of Thing devices. Your home will never look or operate the same again.
Networks in Australia are being switched on right now and you can read a firsthand experience of using the new Galaxy S10 5G from our very own “Technology Early Adopter”, Daniel Borin (Director of Client Success at StrataMax). Read Daniel’s experience below.
What does this mean for strata? Apart from a more reliable and faster internet experience for people living in strata communities, we will also see the connection of billions of devices for our smart communities. From smart watering systems, to smart energy consumption and smart homes. The impact will be phenomenal. This is no longer something of the future but it is here now, and it is up to strata managers to embrace change and start creating connected communities.
Embrace 5G.
Daniel Borin’s experience with 5G
Thanks to hosting the Commonwealth Games last year, the Gold Coast now boasts one of the largest 5G networks in Australia. So, as a local resident, I was very excited to pick up the first 5G phone available in the market – the Samsung S10 5G. On my way home from work most of my trip was covered by the 5G network with two to four bars (i.e. full reception).
In the weaker areas the average download speed was 137Mbps with two bars and an average of 516Mbps with full reception. Telstra’s website states the typical download speeds for 4G as between 2 – 50Mpbs so this represents more than ten times the typical speeds of 4G and more than 5 times the best speeds available on NBN.
Telstra notes that the current 5G network is in Beta and that performance will improve as they roll out their continuous updates. For any other Samsung fans out there the latest phone is very impressive, boasting 6 cameras, in display finger print sensor and a massive 6.7 curved OLED screen. A few of its unique features include the first of its range with super-fast charging and a 3D depth camera that can measure objects size and surface area and volume.