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Bell Labs Researcher Discusses the Realities of 5G

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Re: Bell Labs Researcher Discusses the Realities of 5G

#21

Post by holy_city »

post_break wrote: post #13

What I don't understand is if we get faster speeds, will we still see data buckets stay the same? I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still capped at 2,5,10GB. And will qualcomm be the only game in town thanks to patents? My iPhone Xs feels like a bicycle in terms of data speed, while my Galaxy S8 is 2-3 times faster.

>I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still capped at 2,5,10GB

Bandwidth isn't just increasing to meet future demand but to ease existing demand. I recall a conversation I had with an industry exec a few years back, they told me that bandwidth demand roughly doubled every year while all they could do to keep up was increase cell density, which isn't always viable or cheap.

I think there's way too much marketing on 5G like it's going to revolutionize telecoms overnight. It's going to ease some of the strain on the networks as its rolled out over the next few years, and hopefully provide better QoS eventually.

Re: Bell Labs Researcher Discusses the Realities of 5G

#22

Post by ngcc_hk »

wyldfire wrote: post #14
jessriedel wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like you're mostly frustrated with the fact that the bars on your phone are lying to you, which is true but sorta separate.

The indicator "bars" usually show RSSI which doesn't necessarily map to throughput. Or rather, it's closer to a normalized metric for the (mobile+network infra)'s capability, but not an absolute metric like a speedometer.

Any measurement tool for iOS? I guess we cannot use Speedtest day the day, just have an idea ...

Also is signal strength important as some 4g router do report it but they are bigger

Re: Bell Labs Researcher Discusses the Realities of 5G

#23

Post by Nokinside »

nimish wrote: post #2

4G->5G is the equivalent to upgrading from gigabit to 10 gigabit ethernet yet everyone is treating it like some kind of insane technology. I have yet to see what exactly the hype is about.

People seem to have strong opinion that this is the case even though they are most likely wrong.

Just some changes:

* You will have your own 5G home router micro cells. Factories will have their own 5G networks in unallocate bandwidth. Like Wi-fi but lower latency and better services.

* High quality low latency streaming means that gaming consoles will disappear from homes. You can stream games either from servers or from edge servers. You can have "tactile internet" with 5G latency. Enough to stream games.

* Very low power gadgets in your home will use 5G.

Re: Bell Labs Researcher Discusses the Realities of 5G

#25

Post by Spooky23 »

edoo wrote: post #18

If you've ever seriously played with wifi tech you very well know the higher the frequency the less penetration you get. In an indoor environment the difference between 800Mhz and 2.7Ghz can be astounding. 5G at 90Ghz is only going to work at certain line of sight distances. If you ever hear anyone talking about terahertz speeds you can almost be guaranteed that would be happening with very specifically located devic…

In my city, they are dropping poles with 5G radios all over the place, as close as every 150-300 yards. It’s a land rush as the city cannot do anything to stop them, the poles get dropped in all sorts of awkward places. My understanding is that repeaters will be mounted on streetlights as well.

Those radios aren’t for phones, they are for fixed wireless with antennas attached to your home. 5G is the cable killer, and eventually the WiFi killer.

Re: Bell Labs Researcher Discusses the Realities of 5G

#26

Post by jjoonathan »

leoh wrote: post #24

It's hard for me to understand why anyone is excited about 5G when most carriers aren't running full bandwidth 4G and have significant data caps. Although 5G may be fast in some markets, 5G on the whole just seems so pointless for consumers.

If new bandwidth / more bandwidth means new market entrants / more market entrants, it'll be great!

I am sure that legions of lobbyists, politicians, and businessmen are working diligently as we speak to make sure that doesn't happen, but I want to believe.

Re: Bell Labs Researcher Discusses the Realities of 5G

#27

Post by chrisco255 »

Spooky23 wrote: post #25
edoo wrote: post #18

If you've ever seriously played with wifi tech you very well know the higher the frequency the less penetration you get. In an indoor environment the difference between 800Mhz and 2.7Ghz can be astounding. 5G at 90Ghz is only going to work at certain line of sight distances. If you ever hear anyone talking about terahertz speeds you can almost be guaranteed that would be happening with very specifically located devic…

In my city, they are dropping poles with 5G radios all over the place, as close as every 150-300 yards. It’s a land rush as the city cannot do anything to stop them, the poles get dropped in all sorts of awkward places. My understanding is that repeaters will be mounted on streetlights as well. Those radios aren’t for phones, they are for fixed wireless with antennas attached to your home. 5G is the cable killer, and…

What city is this and why can't the city do anything to stop them?

Re: Bell Labs Researcher Discusses the Realities of 5G

#28

Post by kylec »

tzs wrote: post #20
post_break wrote: post #13

What I don't understand is if we get faster speeds, will we still see data buckets stay the same? I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still capped at 2,5,10GB. And will qualcomm be the only game in town thanks to patents? My iPhone Xs feels like a bicycle in terms of data speed, while my Galaxy S8 is 2-3 times faster.

> I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still capped at 2,5,10GB. For those (a large majority, I suspect) whose actual data usage is determine by factors that have little to do with the network, the point of a faster network is less time waiting. For example, I'm going to take about the same number of photos on my phone if I'm on a fast network as I will if I'm on a slow network. The fast network, tho…

I get what you're saying, but the faster your connection speed is the easier it is to inadvertently use more data. With my carrier if you hit the monthly limit they throttle you to 128Kbps, which is basically unusable. However, they offer a plan that's capped to 3Mbps all the time, which is fast enough for virtually everything I need and makes it much harder to hit the monthly data cap.

I actually prefer always getting 3Mbps any time I want to use my phone compared to the more expensive plan which might get 30-50Mbps... until you hit your cap and you're throttled to 128Kbps. (But, as you'd imagine, if I'm A-OK with 3Mbps, I have a hard time seeing what benefit 5G brings me.)

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