While Apple is all set to release its first-ever iPhone with 5G support there may be a few things they’ve been silent about till now. The next-generation iPhones will enable users to use the newest 5G services from providers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Not only will 5G bring insanely high data rates, but it will also decrease latency considerably.
However, carriers are still working on 5G deployment in the US. This means that most of the areas are still in the 4G coverage and it will take a while for complete 5G deployment. Adding to that not all of the 5G bands are currently deployed by the companies. Now you might experience problems for 5G in your region because of this. Your region might not have the same band that your new iPhone supports which will result in no 5G support or lower speeds in some cases.
One main thing to understand in this debate is that now is not the best time to upgrade to 5G. While your carrier may support it the initial bands will only give you an incremental bump over 4G speeds. Until all the companies finish upgrading their systems you will not be able to get close to marketed values of 5G speeds. For instance, the 5G download speeds are only 1.8 times that of 4G in the US. Other countries that use mid-band frequency are considerably faster (about 5 times).
5G technology uses three different frequency bands for operation. Each frequency band has its own characteristic properties that determine the range and data rates for it. While most of the carriers do plan to implement all three bands of the 5g technology, most of them in the US are still working on one. Ian Fogg, vice president of analysis at Opensignal said that. “In the U.S., when you see millimeter wave, and you see low-band, that isn’t 5G, that’s just two parts of 5G”.
Millimeter-Wave:
The high-frequency band for 5g technology is known as millimeter-wave. While it is the fastest variant of this generation it comes at the price of range and reliability. For better coverage using this band, carriers will need to build more transmission stations. The US mobile company Verizon is aiming for this band deployment. They currently have coverage in about 36 cities according to their website.
Other companies are also working on millimeter wave deployment but they are not commercially available as of yet. After the iPhone launches we may see some new launches depending on the support of millimeter-wave in iPhones.
Mid Band:
This is the most deployed band for 5G in the world. However, it is yet to be adopted by companies in the US. In the US the companies are waiting for FCC to sell the rights for using specific wavelengths to them. This specific frequency band gives speeds of up to 100 and 300 Mbps. These are about what you get for an average cable connection.
As for when this band will get to users FCC will hold auctions later this year and in the next year allowing companies to bid on bands which they like.
Lower Band:
Performance-wise this band will be the closest to what we have for 4G standard. While it is faster than your average 4G speeds it will still be considerably slower than the other higher bands. It also the cheapest to deploy therefore companies market this band when they say nationwide 5g coverage.
these are all the three bands that we have for 5g technology. while the carriers are working on deploying the technology. The new iPhone release will definitely speed up the process. Hopefully, we can expect the process to complete in major cities in the next year. You can tune in to this link for the launch event of the iPhone.