Five biggest examples of lies regarding 5G

Material from the British newspaper The Register

We thought that the hype about mobile broadband could not be even more fantastic, but we were mistaken. So let's look at the five main misconceptions regarding 5G.

1. China uses technology to spy on God-fearing Western countries

Not. 5G is a new technology, and China, in the wake of its rise, is actively promoting it. He has world-class engineers, and his companies can produce products that are comparable or superior in quality to the products of Western firms, and at a competitive price.

And most of all it is not pleasant to the USA. Therefore, in accordance with the rash anti-Beijing sentiment of the Trump administration, the US government (with the joyful support of their telecommunications companies) insists that 5G products from China pose a security risk and no one should buy or use it.

Why not instead buy the products of the good old USA, which had never used the technological advantage and the ubiquitous underlying technology to spy on people?

It has already reached meetings at industrial conferences where the political component of 5G is being discussed. And this should be borne in mind by governments and large companies.

Only this week, the conclusion of the British national security council that Huawei does not pose major security problems - and that its telecommunications equipment can be used everywhere except for the most key networks - has led to significant political consequences. But let's put it bluntly: China does not use 5G to spy on people.

2. There is a “5G race”

There is no 5G race. This is a tricky marketing slogan invented by American telecoms, who themselves were surprised at its effectiveness. Each member of the US Congress who has ever mentioned 5G has also touched on this famous “race”, and has also often used it to explain why something needs to be urgently dragged or why it is necessary to abandon the usual process. We admit it sounds cool - like a space race, only with phones.

But this is nonsense: what kind of race can we talk about when any country or company will soon be able to buy the necessary equipment at any time, and install it where and when it wants? The market is open, and 5G is an evolving standard.

If there is a 5G race, then there is an Internet race, a race of bridges and buildings, a race of rice and pasta. Here's how an expert in the field, Douglas Dawson, accurately describes the situation:



You cannot win a race if any country can buy radio stations and install them at any time. There is no race.

The next time someone mentions the “5G race”, ask him to clarify what he means, and then tell him to stop talking nonsense.

3. 5G ready to go

Not ready. Even the most advanced 5G installations - in South Korea - have been accused of misrepresenting. Verizon launched 5G this month in Chicago? Something no one saw him.

AT&T just figured out a rival to Spring in court because of the use of the term 5GE - and AT&T proved in all seriousness that no one would ever confuse it with 5G. Of course it is - how can anyone come to mind that 5GE means something other than just 4G +?

The thing is that even the 5G standard itself has not yet been finalized. There is its first part, and companies are hastily trying to implement it, but there is not a single working public network with 5G. While telecoms are trying to make at least one device work.

So keep in mind that 5G still exists in the same sense as virtual reality: it seems to be there, but not in the way they want to convince us. Do not believe? This week we were at the Chinese 5G hotel. And you know what? There is no 5G there.

4. 5G covers all our broadband fast internet needs.

Not at all like that. Despite the constant claims that 5G is the Internet of the future (and coming from people who seem to need to better understand this, for example, members of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC)), in fact, 5G, albeit a wonderful one thing, but it doesn’t replace a wired connection.

5G signals cannot magically cover vast distances. In fact, they can cover only relatively small areas and can hardly penetrate buildings or pass through walls - so one of the problems is how to install tens of millions of new base micro-stations so that people have reliable signal reception.

5G networks will rely 100% on fast wired connections. Without these lines (well, fiber optic), it is, in fact, useless, since its only advantage is speed. In addition, it is unlikely that you will have 5G if you move outside the big city. And even in the city there will be dead zones when you go around the corner or approach the overpass.

Just this week, Verizon’s director told investors that 5G “is not a coverage spectrum” - which in their language means “will not be available outside the cities.” The director of T-Mobile said even simpler - again, this week - that 5G "will never get to rural America."

5. Frequency band auctions will solve all problems

Both the FCC and the Trump administration want you to think that a large frequency auction will solve all problems with 5G - firstly, it will be possible to convey it to people, and secondly, Internet access will be expanded for the proceeds in rural areas .

And all this is not true. The FCC sells inappropriate 5G spectrum because these are the only frequencies it has so far, mainly due to the disgusting work of the US government as a whole.

All other countries of the world hold auctions of "medium" frequencies, which, in fact, allows to achieve high speeds over long distances. And the FCC sells at auction a spectrum whose waves travel much less than a distance, and therefore, it will be useful only in cities with dense buildings, which are already the first in the queue for 5G implementation, due to the concentration of consumers and money.

Will the $ 20 billion investment in rural broadband Internet money go at auction, as the president and head of the FCC said? No, they won’t. Until something changes seriously in politics, political pressure will not begin to act in the opposite direction, and there will be no political will capable of squeezing omnipotent telecoms and forcing them to deploy high-speed Internet access throughout the United States, rural Americans will dynamically.

And please, for heaven’s sake, don’t buy a new phone just because it says “5G”, “5GE” or “5G $$” on it. And do not overpay for your 5G connection to your operator. Phones and services will be ahead of 5G reality. Continue to live quietly, and in five years - if you live in a big city - you will find that you can watch videos on your new phone much faster.

And everything else is nonsense.