Counterclockwise: As 5G arrives we track the 3G and 4G adoption

21 April 2019
The first widely-available 3G networks launched in 2003, but 3G phones didn't become the standard until 2007. 4G's story is similar.

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  • 21 Apr 2019

Anonymous, 21 Apr 2019*Laughs at this while still using a 3G SIM with acceptable ... moreYou do realized you still paying the same price as 4G sim card aren't you. I switch to 4G sim for that reason. No matter what sim you use, carrier sells their data for all network type at same price. Because when you use 4G sim, in your phone you can switch the data to 3G or Edge only data through setting. There no such thing as 3G only data plan. The only benefit setting your phone that way is less battery drain and consuming your data slower at the cost your internet also throttle down a lot. When 5G is officially available we will be prompt to upgrade our sim card by our carrier regardless since the new data plan we will be paying for already include 5G internet. There will be no such thing as 4G only data plan just like there are no such thing as 3G only data plan. But still, need a 5G phone though.

    Governments have plans to use 5g for more than just improving network speeds. Think spying and listening in , since it's going to be placed everywhere around us. And i'm pretty sure i dont want radioactive waves pulsing near me constantly . This is a useless innovation, we already have more than acceptable speeds. Get this stuff away from me.

      Anonymous, 21 Apr 2019Isnt the increase risk of cancer true?No, not really.
      The amount of radiation this causes, yes it can possibly cause cancer if its something like 1cm away from tissue cells that are unprotected and around 10 grams size (think: dissected frog leg).

      Now, when we're talking about 50-100kg humans with protection via skin and clothing, not to mention the increased distances to around 200-2,000 metres...... things look very different on the scale. People always forget to account for the inverse square law!

      Besides; its still POSSIBLE but it hasn't been proven yet, not to mention it has very little testing time in the field (the IMT industry has actually spent more time on the standardisation of "5G" rather than testing it). 5G access has been available since 2018 in very limited fashion, and mainstream rollout won't actually begin until 2020. However, there's more work to be done and it won't really hit the average person until 2023, just like how "4G" despite being available in 2010 didn't really get adoption by the average person until 2013.

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        • Anonymous
        • IVx
        • 21 Apr 2019

        Here i am still with my 2g connection.. wifi is everywhere i don't even sign for data.. i can save battery by using 2g instead of 4g LOL

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          • a simple man
          • L2N
          • 21 Apr 2019

          5G is over-rated. Forget what they tell you, most will only see a modest gain in speed with no affect on latency. Why do you really need to see 4k show on your small phone ? It could be 480p and most wouldn't notice.
          Completely overhyped technology , and once the modems appear in all the phones, the speeds will not be faster than the current 4g LTE speeds.

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            • Anonymous
            • 6wN
            • 21 Apr 2019

            It is good to have 5G but I'm using only Wifi.

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              • Anonymous
              • mqs
              • 21 Apr 2019

              Peter-B, 21 Apr 2019That's about as true as the world ending in 2012. The one p... moreIsnt the increase risk of cancer true?

                Walter C. Dornez, 21 Apr 2019Actually, you could see differences in Resolution. I find i... moreYup, for most people the resolution we can see under ideal conditions is around 1/12000 of the viewing distance, so above 1080p only make sense used even closer than 11inch/28cm.

                Those in doubt could try a simple eye test e.g. https://eskerahn.dk/?p=32

                  Anonymous, 21 Apr 2019The real question is why 3G usage spiked in 2018. Was there... moreWe can assume the Nokia basic phones to start them

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                    • Anonymous
                    • NjC
                    • 21 Apr 2019

                    .alpha, 21 Apr 2019What country still have 3G SIM?Every countrt except US

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                      • Anonymous
                      • nw}
                      • 21 Apr 2019

                      i always use 3g+ on my phone goes to 50mbps reliably which is even good for 4k streaming without buffering.
                      reception is always full and during busy hours in city centre 4g is way slower since everyone is connected around you outside in rular areas again most of the times is slower due bad reception which also drains battery faster. im not excited at all about 5g im sticking with 3g until 4g becomes better (probably when 5g becomes mainstream). hpw

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                        • Anonymous
                        • j8v
                        • 21 Apr 2019

                        The real question is why 3G usage spiked in 2018. Was there a change in the way data was measured?

                          Maria, 21 Apr 2019Honestly, I still do not know what is 5G for? Can somebody ... moreI think a lot of people are still uninformed and skeptical about it eventhough it was just launched very recently so hold your horses.

                          5G is the fifth generation of broadband cellular network, suceeding 4G. The benefits are higher speeds and bandwidth and lower latency and the drawbacks are limited range and less ubiquitous (for now). What is game changing is that 5G isn't about the phones. Besides the consumers who will get to enjoy improved and uninterruptible broadband connectivity, the industrial and services areas are seen as the main components of the technology users, which will also give a positive impact to the consumers. Areas such as agriculture, healthcare, public safety, manufacturing, smart city, education, automotive, smart city and many more will benefit from this. One example of a product that uses 5G is autonomous vehicles. That's the gist of it. You can read up more in the internet, there's like TONNES of articles regarding 5G. Technology is evolving at a pace so rapid that 6G is also in the works.

                          There's a reason why the big nations US and China are racing and fighting for setting up 5G networks because it can give a dramatic impact. For now, the technology is still at its introduction phase and as all mainstream things, will take time to grow and mature.

                            Why no nmt?

                              Peter-B, 21 Apr 2019That's about as true as the world ending in 2012. The one p... moreNot to mention that if it was that bad, 5G would have been abandoned immediately as a technology

                                Anonymous, 21 Apr 2019I see no interest from phone users to upgrade to or buy a 5... moreActually, you could see differences in Resolution. I find it harder to distinguish between 1080 and 1440 though at times

                                  Romie Lee, 21 Apr 2019I just read somewhere else that 5G may cause a serious prob... moreThat's about as true as the world ending in 2012. The one plausible issue I've seen so far is 5G causing issues with weather forecast satellites:

                                  https://hackaday.com/2019/04/16/5g-buildout-likely-to-put-weather-forecasting-at-risk/

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                                    • Anonymous
                                    • IVA
                                    • 21 Apr 2019

                                    4G connection is still isn't good enough. I don't need 5G now

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • sxs
                                      • 21 Apr 2019

                                      I see no interest from phone users to upgrade to or buy a 5G handset if all people do in 2023 is to still post selfie photos on Facebook and watch YouTube. The über-connectivity 5G brings will just mean waste of bandwidth. Randomly checking a YouTube or a Netflix video for a few seconds to see if you like to watch it in full, and guess what? The whole movie/video is already fully downloaded and buffered in 4K UHD at the highest quality until the last second of footage, wasting precious bandwidth. This, despite the human eye not being able to see significant/glaring differences between 720p and 4K in a phone up to 7" in screen size.

                                      People will be more inclined to upgrade to a new phone because of new camera features - to get more zoom, more megapixels and other camera centric features. Why? Because majority of the newer generation are addicted to selfies and Facebook. So 5G mainstream in 2023? Don't think so. But 10x zoom and more beauty modes and night modes as standard in 2023? You can bet on it.

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • Kx1
                                        • 21 Apr 2019

                                        Al-Aqsa Lover, 21 Apr 20195G is for online gaming with almost zero latencyStill prefer wifi + modem FO connectivity, cellular modem addup heat, more delay and jitters definitely unsuitable for "competitive" multiplayer. For casual gaming, current network is enough.

                                        "but I want to play my competitive gaming on the go".

                                        Just don't, you either working, relaxing, social stuff, etc outside, do it seriously / enjoy it. Playing game "competitively" outside is just SAD

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