Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, May 7, 5G network, as a new generation of mobile communication technology, is supposed to be faster and better than 4G network, but this is not the case. According to speed test data from Ookla, a network diagnostics company, the speed of uploading and downloading 5G networks around the world is generally lower than a year ago. Even the most advanced 5G network can only reach the speed of 1 Gbps, which is far lower than the ideal download speed of 20 Gbps set by the International Telecommunication Union.

According to ieee, there are many reasons for this. First of all, as more and more users buy new mobile phones and other devices, the number of people using 5G networks has increased, 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 4G," said Mark Giles, an industry analyst at Ookla. "so when 4G was first deployed, there was a lot of capacity available for early users. Then as more and more users run out of capacity, you need to increase the base station density."

Secondly, when deploying 5G networks, most operators use non-independent 5G networks. This approach is to build a 5G network on the core infrastructure of the existing 4G network. Although the performance of a non-independent 5G network is not as good as that of a stand-alone 5G network, it is much cheaper and more difficult because it does not need to be built from scratch. This strategy also limits the development of 5G networks, because operators can only build 5G networks where there are existing base stations and other facilities.

But cost is not the only factor, and some regulatory and licensing problems also haunt operators. Especially in dense urban areas, sometimes the biggest challenge is to find a suitable place to place new base stations.

In addition to cities, 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 the millimeter wave band (24 GHz to 40 GHz), which can support lower latency and higher data rates. But there is also a disadvantage in the high frequency band, that is, the propagation distance is very short. This is good for cities, but not very practical for suburbs or rural areas. As more and more places begin to use 5G networks, there will be some performance degradation as a whole.

CTOnews.com notes that millimeter waves are not widely used either and can hardly be seen anywhere except in a few countries, including the United States. Even in the United States, companies that were initially optimistic about millimeter waves (such as Verizon) have turned to other newly open bands, such as C-band (4 GHz to 8 GHz). "as of 2022, 140 operators around the world had millimeter wave licenses in 24 countries," Giles said. but only 28 operators have actually deployed millimeter waves in 16 countries. so this is a very small group. only a small number of operators really pursue millimeter waves. "

The 5G download speed of 20 Gbps, originally proposed by the International Telecommunication Union, is still an ideal. Millimeter wave has some applications only in places where a large number of users need to use the network at the same time, such as stadiums and airports. However, the millimeter wave is not built as an important part of the 5G network, whether because the cost is too high or the technology is limited, it does not help the 5G network through its growth stage.

Of course, not all countries'5G networks perform poorly. Ookla speed test data show that four countries have bucked the trend: Canada, Italy, Qatar and the United States. For the United States, Giles believes that more available new bands have helped the country's operators maintain a leading position in the new network. For Qatar, a large amount of investment in the 2022 World Cup includes building a strong 5G network.

It is unknown whether the early setbacks of 5G network will affect the development of 6G network, but there are some possible effects. For example, in view of the unsatisfactory millimeter wave, the industry may reduce its investment in terahertz wave research and turn to consider how to integrate cellular and Wi-Fi technologies in areas where intensive coverage is needed.

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