As a new generation of mobile communication technology, the 5G network should be faster and better than the 4G network, but this is not the case. According to speed test data from network diagnostic company Ookla, the upload and download speeds of 5G networks in countries worldwide have generally dropped compared with a year ago. I mean, 5g network speed is slower than a year ago. Even the most advanced 5G networks can currently only achieve speeds of 1 Gbps, well below the ideal download speed of 20 Gbps set by the International Telecommunication Union.
5g Network speed is Slower than a Year Ago: What Are The Reasons Why This is So?
Below, I shall discuss the three major factors that have contributed to the year-on-year speed drop of the 5G network.
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Reason 1: New 5G Network Users
First, as more users buy new phones and other devices, the number of people using 5G networks increases, leading to network congestion. This is a problem that every generation of mobile communication technology will encounter.
“It’s the same when you look back at the 4G network,” said Mark Giles, an industry analyst at Ookla. “So when 4G was first deployed, there was a lot of capacity available for those early adopters. When you run out of capacity, you need to increase the density of base stations.”
Second Reason: Availability Of a Few Standalone 5G Base Stations
Secondly, most operators have adopted non-standalone 5G networks when deploying 5G networks. With this approach, a 5G network is built on the core infrastructure of the existing 4G network.
Although the performance of a non-standalone 5G network is not as good as that of a standalone 5G network, it is much less expensive and difficult because it does not need to be built from scratch.
This strategy also limits the development of 5G networks, as operators can only build 5G networks with existing base stations and other facilities.
But cost is not the only factor. There are also regulatory and licensing issues that plague operators. Especially in dense urban areas, sometimes the biggest challenge is finding a suitable place to place a new base station.
In addition, there are different problems in suburban or rural areas. One of the biggest selling points of 5G networks is the ability to take advantage of new frequency bands, especially millimeter wave bands (24 GHz to 40 GHz), which can support lower latency and higher data rates. But the high-frequency band also has a disadvantage: the propagation distance is very short. That’s fine for cities but not so practical for suburban or rural areas.
Therefore, as more and more places start to use 5G networks, there will be some performance degradation in general.
Reason 3: mmWave is Not Yet Very Popular, and This is Why
Generally, millimeter waves(mmWave) have not been widely used, and except for a few countries (including the United States), millimeter waves are hardly seen in other places.
Even in the US, companies initially optimistic about mmWave, such as Verizon, are moving to other newly opened frequency bands, such as the C-band (4 GHz to 8 GHz). “As of 2022, there are 140 operators worldwide with mmWave licenses in 24 countries. But only 28 operators have deployed mmWave in 16 countries. So it’s a very small group. Only Very few operators are really pursuing mmWave.”
The original 5G download speed of 20 Gbps proposed by the International Telecommunication Union is still only ideal. Millimeter waves only have some applications in places that require many users to use the network simultaneously, such as stadiums and airports.
Be that as it may, failure to build mmWave as an important part of 5G networks, whether because of high costs or technical constraints, has not helped 5G networks through its growth phase.
Which Countries Are Performing So Well With 5G?
Of course, not all countries are performing poorly with 5G networks. According to Ookla’s speed test data, four countries top the list: Canada, Italy, Qatar, and the United States. For the U.S., Gilles believes more new spectrum bands are available to help the country’s carriers stay ahead on new networks. For Qatar, the massive investment for the 2022 World Cup includes building a robust 5G network.
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Final Thought
Whether early setbacks in 5G networks will affect the development of 6G networks is unknown, but there are some possible effects. For example, considering the unsatisfactory millimeter waves, the industry may reduce investment in terahertz wave research and instead consider integrating cellular and Wi-Fi technologies in areas needing dense coverage.
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