Both 5G and fiber Internet (or fiber optic cables) are ultra-fast technologies that ensure high-speed connectivity. Although these internet services are still in their early stages in terms of availability, the next few years are bound to see them have increased users and bandwidth.
While 5G relies on small cell antennas installed across a town or city to ensure high-speed internet in your home and community, fiber internet uses a cutting-edge technology that provides ultra-fast internet through fiber optic cables. These networks are posed to help each other improve.
Both 5G networks and fiber Internets have a host of associated benefits and drawbacks that will be considered in this article, among others. Ensure you continue reading.
5G Internet and Fibre Internet
5G Internet is a new Internet technology available in different bands of radio frequencies, which are low, middle, and high. These frequency bands have different speeds as well as bandwidth and number of simultaneous users. The low-frequency band has the lowest speed, while the middle and high-frequency bands have more simultaneous users and higher bandwidth. 5G Internet enables its users to enjoy faster speeds, lower latency, and connect with more devices simultaneously.
On the other hand, fiber internet is not the same as your typical digital subscriber line (or DSL) or cable internet. It provides far more reliable internet connectivity and faster speed, optimizing your streaming, surfing, learning, gaming, working, and all of your online activities’ experience. Fibre internet enables you to enjoy ultra-fast upload and download speeds and an unlimited bandwidth, which allows you to connect several devices simultaneously with little to no buffering during gameplay, video-conferencing, etc.
To learn more about the connection between 5G and Fibre internet, check out this video:
5G Internet
5G is the 5th generation of mobile networks and a step up from the current widely used 4G LTE networks. 5G networks, like other mobile wireless networks, deliver internet connectivity to mobile devices via the air, which results in flexible internet service for its users. These wireless services are deployed through wireless base stations that serve the area surrounding the station.
5G Internet involves attaching small cell antennas or “nodes” to fiber networks. These nodes then transmit digital data to your home router. From there, your WiFi modem transmits the data directly to your devices. If the number of antennas or nodes in a specific area is not enough to serve the population in such an area, the 5G Internet will transmit weak signals and will also experience network congestion.
The 5G network can handle a huge amount of traffic and is about ten times faster than the 4G. Imagine being able to download media files, videos, etc., in mere seconds!
Some of the network performance goals of the 5G Internet are:
- To achieve network availability of 99.999%
- To achieve a perceived 100% network coverage
- To connect up to 100 times more devices
- To have up to 1000 times increase in bandwidth per unit area
- To achieve up to 10GBps connection rates to mobile devices
- To reduce the utilized network energy by up to 90%
- To have a latency of a maximum of 1ms end-to-end round trip.
Advantages of 5G Network
With advancements in mobile phone technology, internet users have seen several generations of data technology over the years. 5G is the current best version of data technology. Although it is still not mainstream, you must learn about the advantages and disadvantages of this technology to be ready for when it comes. Some of the advantages are:
- Increased bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the amount of space available for use by people who use data to download files, watch videos, view internet pages, etc. The less bandwidth an internet network has, the slower the devices that run on it. One of the advantages of the 5G network is that it has a large bandwidth. You no longer have to watch your progress bar load your webpages as is typical of 3G technology, that is, you can do more with your devices without going through stress to get a proper data network. You also won’t have to hustle for data connectivity when you are in crowded spaces like airports or sports arenas.
- Increased speed
It makes sense to think that when more people tap into the increased bandwidth of the 5G network, the speed at which you connect to the internet will decrease. However, this is not so as the 5G network enables its users to browse the web, stream videos, and download files, among others, at an ultra-fast speed. Compared to the 3G and 4G data networks, you don’t have to wait for minutes on end while downloading your files or watching videos. As a result of the increased bandwidth, users can use more data without hindering the data network of other users. Since more networks are dedicated to the individual smart device, you will connect faster than before.
Other advantages include:
- New technology options
- Compared to fiber optics, 5G networks are cost-effective
Disadvantages of 5G Network
Some of the disadvantages of a 5G network are:
- Radio frequency
Similar to radios, satellites, and other wireless networks, 5G also uses radio frequencies for its signals. Frequency is measured in Hz and radio frequencies function in the range of GHz. The range of networks within which 5G is supposed to work is 6 GHz; however, this range is usually crowded by other wireless objects, such as satellites. Several other types of signals are available in the range of 6 GHz, which makes it doubtful that this frequency will transmit and receive signals without any issue.
- Less coverage
5G networks will need more cell towers to produce sufficient bandwidth to serve its users because the 5G network cells cannot cover as much space as the cells of 3G or 4G. As a result of this, the 5G network coverage may not be as widespread at first until more cell towers are installed.
Other disadvantages are:
- 5G is costly
- Inconsistent speeds
If you want to know how to protect yourself from 5G towers, then check out this blog post.
Fibre Internet
Fiber internet is steadily transforming internet communities around the world with its faster and more reliable data connectivity. The fiber internet provides enough bandwidth to support the latest technological devices worldwide, such as smartphones, advanced game systems, home automation devices, etc. It allows its users to load webpages, download media files easily, and stream online and TV content without a buffer.
Fiber internet networks comprise fiber optic cables made of long thin, specially constructed glass strands and are covered in a hard-plastic sheath to ensure its durability. The glass transmits many light frequencies through the strand with little to no loss, thereby ensuring a more efficient and faster transmission of information.
The light in the fiber strands can travel over hundreds of miles without encountering any issues from its source to its destination, thereby leading to more usable bandwidth than coaxial cables.
Installation and equipment requirements
- It will cost more than $1,000 to install your fiber internet.
- You need a modem and WiFi router. (Some fiber internet companies allow you to rent these from them).
- When your fiber internet is activated, you have to install your router and WiFi modem, which you can do yourself or pay specialists to do for you.
- Note that you will need extra WiFi routers to cover every part of your home if your home is more than 1,600 square feet.
- Ensure you read the fine print of the data service
Advantages of Fibre Internet
The following are some of the advantages of using the fiber internet:
- Low latency
Latency refers to the delay in the length of time it would take data to travel from one point to another. Low latency is used to describe when there is little to no delay in the amount of time it takes data to travel from point to point. Low latency is vital to specific uses of the internet that are time-sensitive, such as phone and video calls, stock trading, online video gaming, etc. The low internet in fiber optics results from the glass strand, which enables light to travel with little to no interruptions.
- High speed
The speed or bandwidth of fiber networks surpasses 5G, DSL, cable, and other data services. This is due to the high capacity of fiber optics and its ability to support the large amounts of data transmitted across large distances. Fibre internet is currently limited in speed by the technology at each end of the fiber optics cable only. As soon as you install the fiber optics cable, all you need to do is upgrade the technological devices at the fiber’s ends.
Other advantages of fiber internet are:
- Highly reliable
- Large bandwidth
- Highly scalable
Disadvantages of Fibre Internet
The following are some of the disadvantages of using the fiber internet:
- High cost of installment
To install this data technology, you’d have to spend more than $1,000. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of this technology.
- Not widely available
Like 5G Internet, the fiber Internet is not yet widely available; hence, you can’t easily find it.
Other disadvantages are:
- Not available in rural areas
- The plan descriptions may be misleading from what the internet providers make available
- It is fragile
- Limited application
Conclusion
Although the 5G and fiber internets provide ultra-fast internet networks, they are not widespread. 5G, like 3G and 4G, emits radiofrequency radiation (RFR), which can be damaging when available at higher levels in the human body.
It is worthy of note that the exposure to RFR in 5G Internets can be reduced with an increase in distance to your device. On the other hand, fiber internet does not emit any form of radiation as it transmits its data service through light.
