How much difference can 5G technology really make in South Africa – and when?
From faster streaming to smart homes, 5G is set to be a game-changer around the world. In the United States, for example, self-driving cars are a fact of life in San Francisco – even if just a small section of the city. Not far away, smart streetlamps are already in operation in Los Angeles where, as well as lighting the area at night, they are also able to charge electric vehicles, provide Wi-Fi service, power up cell phones, and monitor air quality.
This is a fantastic sneak peak into 5G applications, but what does it mean for us here in SA?
Locally, 5G coverage is growing as the required new infrastructure is put in place – mainly in the large metros at this stage – but most of our internet and mobile communications are still taking place via the previous wireless generation, in other words through 4G (and in parts of the country and the continent, still through 3G).
Getting Back to Basics
5G technology is the latest generation of wireless networks that provides greater reliability, efficiency and, above all, much faster data speeds.
5G is the fifth generation of wireless technology that is used to power our mobile devices and general access to the internet.
- Fun fact: The first generation of 1G was delivered in the 1980s and could only be used to transmit analogue voice signals.
Because 5G operates between 30 GHz and 300 GHz on the radio spectrum – a massive range of radio waves – it can offer plenty of room for data capacity and speed, which is of course what we all want: loads of data at the highest speed possible.
The hype around 5G is because our current internet capabilities have the potential to be significantly enhanced – for example, with download speeds up to 100 times faster than 4G.
- Another fun fact: When 4G came in as the then-latest standard, it was only around three times faster than its predecessor, 3G.
You can click here to check out 5G offerings from Vox.
Practical Aspects of 5G Locally
When we look at how 5G will influence our daily lives, we can break it down into advantages for individuals and the wider economy.
Individuals:
Downloading: Speeds will increase massively, and latency will drop. In theory, we should be able to download a 1GB movie in 3.6 seconds on 5G, compared to six minutes on 4G. Improved speeds will have positive implications for downloading and uploading files, streaming movies, online gaming and connectivity in general. The whole family will be able to be online in various ways – entertainment, homework, shopping, gaming, communicating – without a drop in speed, or connectivity issues in general.
Remote work – whether for your home office, or premises across the country – could improve with high-quality video conferencing and faster file transfers, ending the problem of connectivity that constantly drops during online meetings.
Car theft: It’s possible that the Internet of Things (IoT), enabled by the high speeds of 5G, could offer solutions to stolen vehicles through asset-tracking solutions based on IoT. Solution providers have developed geolocation capabilities based on network triangulation, which can provide an estimation of the stolen vehicle’s location.
Healthcare transformation: In rural areas, 5G could bridge the healthcare gap by enabling high-quality telemedicine, improving outcomes in underserved areas.
Education: Virtual reality applications could make learning more applicable and understandable to students’ own lives. In remote areas, 5G could provide access to the same educational resources for students as their urban counterparts, helping to level the playing field.
Business and the Economy:
South Africa’s retail, financial services, agriculture and manufacturing industries present clear opportunities for 5G to enable digital transformation, which will help to lower the current digital divide with the rest of the world.
5G technology could revolutionise the way cars are manufactured. Real-time data exchange allows faster recording of production data, and instant optimisation of the entire process.
Similar to individual car theft, IoT asset tracking is offering a new way to secure goods across the supply chain management industry to prevent the theft of commercial goods that runs into millions of rands.
Healthcare transformation: In the US and parts of Africa, the delivery of blood, vaccines and medical supplies by drone is already being offered. In South Africa, in 2019, the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), together with the Western Cape Blood Service, introduced a local drone blood delivery service.
Education and remote learning: 5G could assist in the field of adult education and skills development, enabling real-time interaction and feedback to make lifelong learning more engaging, and benefit employers with more switched-on employees.
As 5G continues to roll out – with Vox firmly on board at the front of the wave – we can expect the full potential of this technology to unfold over time as the technology matures.
Above all, the impact of 5G on our daily lives will largely depend on how quickly cellular providers can bring 5G networks to the public.
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