{"id":5200,"date":"2020-05-06T08:49:02","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T07:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conferencecall.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5200"},"modified":"2021-06-15T10:50:06","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T09:50:06","slug":"what-is-5g","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conferencecall.co.uk\/blog\/what-is-5g\/","title":{"rendered":"What is 5G?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s been a lot of disinformation doing the rounds about the dangers of 5G – from tales of Chinese spyware to the spreading of coronavirus – all of which are completely wide of the mark.<\/p>\n

But what exactly is 5G? And how will it change the face of communications and connectivity?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is 5G?<\/h2>\n

5G is fifth-generation mobile internet, and will offer fast data download and upload speeds, alongside more stable connections and wider coverage.<\/p>\n

The UK’s 5G network was switched on on May 30, 2019, with EE the first provider to offer it.<\/p>\n

It’s designed to make better use of the current radio spectrum to increase the capacity of radio masts to ensure that more people can connect at once without any disruption to the service.<\/p>\n

Upload and download speeds are expected to be as much as ten times faster than 4G to begin with, and even faster as the technology matures – expect to download movies in a matter of seconds and latency issues will become a thing of the past, so when you tap on a link or button, it immediately gets to work.<\/p>\n

In short, everything you can currently do with your smartphone will be faster and better.<\/p>\n

It’s not all about smartphones though, gamers and streamers will no longer feel the frustration of lag and buffering, while the technology should accelerate the adoption of driverless vehicles, which will utilise the tech to better communicate with each other and read live map and traffic data.<\/p>\n

What’s with the 5G conspiracy theories?<\/h2>\n

It’s not clear where or why the rumours started, but 5G has been credited with being a huge Chinese spying network to a vehicle for spreading coronavirus. Neither of which are in any way true or plausible.<\/p>\n

The Chinese spyware stories seemed to emanate from the links between Huawei<\/a>, a world-leader in creating 5G infrastructure, and the Chinese government. The main critic of the firm appeared to be the Trump administration in the US – so take from that what you will – and the UK saw no issue in giving the tech giant a contract to provide 5G.<\/p>\n

Although BT is removing Huawei equipment from the core of its 5G network, as well as from infrastructure used by emergency services.<\/p>\n

It’s anyone guess where the stories linking 5G masts to the spread of coronavirus<\/a> came from, but they seem to have resonated with parts of the population as 5G masts have been destroyed while communication workers have been abused for simply going about their job.<\/p>\n

This podcast from the Guardian<\/a> explains why the rumour may have gained traction.<\/p>\n

How to get 5G<\/h2>\n

Your ability to get 5G will depend upon your network operator and the area of the UK you live in:<\/p>\n