5G. What’s the point?

[schmalex]

Folks. Please help me. What on Earth is the practical point of 5G for use in every day life? Why would I want to pay more for 5G than I currently do for 3G / 4G?

[schmalex]

Sheepshanks said:

Think HS2.

Reducing jobs in the North?

[schmalex]

FredClogs said:

More data, faster in more devices. The vision is for a complete mesh network, I. E the IoT that links everything to everything.

The real driver is that will create new ways to generate revenue not from what people do with their connected lives but just simply by them being connected, via generating markets on people's every use of the Internet and how they interact with the IoT. The idea of privacy will necessarily have to be rethought.

I’m not sure I believe that. When I worked for Ericsson 10 years or so ago, we were bleating on about the IOT and connected everything with 4G.

The point of cars changing traffic lights and fridges ordering more milk was supposed to be a big USP then, with sub 10ms pings etc.

Frankly, it was all bks.

Why will 5G be any different?

From my phone, I can stream HDTV at 25 / 30mbps. I have a ping of 8 - 10ms. What would I do with more?

[schmalex]

Not really. I see the use of 4G as I can watch HDTV (probably the most bandwidth hungry application) on my mobile devices. I couldn’t do this on 3G / WAP so there is tangible benefit of 4G when it’s available

[schmalex]

otolith said:

schmalex said:

Not really. I see the use of 4G as I can watch HDTV (probably the most bandwidth hungry application) on my mobile devices. I couldn’t do this on 3G / WAP so there is tangible benefit of 4G when it’s available

Did you know you wanted to do this back then?

.

Yes I kept getting pissed off as TV kept buffering. There is nothing now that I can’t do due to bandwidth restrictions

[schmalex]

So. It seems to me that we’ve established that there is no real point to 5G for the consumer in as far as it doesn’t really do any more than 4G which, itself, doesn’t have sufficient coverage currently.

Rather than pouring money into a fad that appears to not to offer any real benefit to the consumer, why don’t the like of Vodafone and O2 invest in their RAN share and roll out decent 4G coverage to the population?.

[schmalex]

Is interconnectedness really mushrooming though?

I guess the MNO’s want us to think it is, but I’m not so sure it is. And I think, judging by this thread, I’m not alone.