You may have heard about 3G cellular networks being shut down this year. Fortunately your cellular service provider should have notified you about the change long ago so you’ve likely already changed to a compatible 4G or 5G device.
So what is 3G, 4G, 5G?
3G, 4G and 5G are mobile wireless cellular radiotelephone generations. 3G networks were introduced in 1998, and eventually replaced earlier 2G and 1st generation mobile networks. 4G was first deployed in the United States by Verizon in 2011. 5G networks began deployment in 2019, and are predicted to have over 1.7 billion subscribers by 2025. But now wireless carriers want to free-up the frequencies used by 3G networks for 5G networks.
What’s so great about 5G?
5G – or the 5th generation of wireless cellular networks – brings faster data speeds mainly through newly available frequencies that allow more data and digital phone calls from more users to be transmitted simultaneously. The new frequencies were previously underutilized or freed up from other users of the wireless spectrum, and sold at auction to many of the big-name wireless carriers. Much of the new spectrum is at very high frequencies (3 GHz+) – which doesn’t travel as far or penetrate buildings as well as the original wireless cellular frequencies in the 0.6 to 2.5 GHz range.
5G (generation) cellular vs 5 GHz (frequency) Wi-Fi
As mentioned above, 5G cellular refers to the new 5th generation of wireless cellular networks, whereas your home Wi-Fi may display “5G” meaning the 5 GHz frequency available on most modern Wi-Fi routers.
The higher the frequency, the lower the range
You may recall when listening to AM/FM radio broadcasts, AM radio can sometimes be received for hundreds or thousands of miles from the transmitter location, whereas FM radio range is usually less than 100 miles. The difference is partially because FM radio broadcasts operate at a higher frequency (around 0.1 GHz – or 100 MHz) vs AM radio’s .001 GHz – or 1 MHz).
Similar to AM/FM radio, wireless cellular networks in the 0.6-0.8 GHz range work at greater distances from the cell tower than the new high frequency networks. Where your cell phone may work for many miles when using the 0.6-0.8 GHz range, it only works for a few miles or less in the 2-4 GHz range, and a few city blocks at most in the 28-39 GHz range. But the higher frequencies have wider channels available which can be reused in more areas, so the amount of data transferred and the speed at which that data can be transferred can be much faster.
How much more spectrum does 5G provide?
We’ll use Verizon as an example. Nationwide, on average Verizon currently is using approximately 100 MHz of 4G wireless spectrum in parts of the 0.7 to 2.1 GHz frequency range. With the new 5G frequencies they purchased in 2021, Verizon will have approximately 200 MHz more spectrum in the 3.7 to 3.9 Ghz range. In 2020 Verizon purchased approximately 1000 MHz of spectrum in the very short-distance 28-39 GHz (mmWave) frequency range. In summary, Verizon has approximately 2-12x more spectrum available, which can be reused in mores areas due to lack of interference from neighboring cells miles away.
Up next – 6G and 6 GHz
There’s already talk of the next generation of wireless cellular networks – 6G – which could launch by the end of the decade. But in the home, Wi-Fi 6E already supports a huge swath of frequencies around 6-7 GHz, and is available in an increasing number of new routers, desktop computers and mobile devices.
The coverage area of Wi-Fi vs the cellular network
Where your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi may cover a 3000-4000 square foot home, 5 and 6 GHz Wi-Fi will only cover a few rooms and not penetrate walls and other obstacles very well. But because of the amount of space allocated for Wi-Fi in the 5 and 6 GHz frequencies, there’s more bandwidth available allowing for faster data speeds.
Even though wireless cellular networks operate in similar frequencies (2-4 GHz) as your home Wi-Fi (2.4-6 GHz), they are able to cover much more area – up to a few miles – because they are able to transmit with much higher power levels, and use bigger and highly directional antennas.
We can help with your home Wi-Fi coverage
If you’re having trouble with wireless coverage at home, we can do a site analysis to help determine if a new wireless router or mesh system would be right for you. We can also show you how you might be able to improve your cell phone reception at home by turning on “Wi-Fi Calling”. Contact us today for more information.