There is a buzz around5G and how it is going to revolutionize the digital world. Not only is there anticipation but a lot of conspiracy theories revolving around as well. 5G technology claims to enable extremely fast internet speed, fast downloads, high-quality streaming, and many more aspects. The key feature being the connectivity of everything, including humans as well as objects.
The speed we are expecting from 5G is 10-500 Gbps, whereas 4G is only able to provide 20Mbps. 5G is expected to give you better connectivity across devices, higher resolutions, reliability in the network, uninterrupted connections, and data transfer in real-time with minimum delay.
Current Internet Technology – 4G
Before getting into the details of 5G, let’s get through some facts about the Internet that we are currently using, i.e., the 4G network. The initial internet connection that enabled us to make digital phone calls and messages was 2G. The next stage of the continuum was 3G, which was introduced in the year 2003 and enabled web browsing, downloads as well as video calling.
4G is considerably the faster and smoother version of 3G, with better downloading speeds and lesser latency in comparison to 3G. 4G operates at a lower frequency in comparison to 2G and 3G; it can work better through walls and building better, providing better coverage. However, it is still not fast enough to support the impending IoT and A.I. revolution, which is why cellular companies have been working on 5G technology.
What Is 5G And When Will It Be Available?
Before jumping into details, let’s look into some basics; 5G is the 5th generation of the mobile network that is a new global wireless standard after previous networks (2G,3G, and 4G), the new radio technology of 5 works on 3 spectrums:
- Low band – current LTE operates on low band
- Mid band – for faster coverage and lower latency
- High band – Offers the highest speeds and lowest latency
Although 5G is still in its development phase, 2020 is expected to be the year where 5G becomes common to use. Several mobile brands have already launched 5G enabled mobile phones, including the latest Apple’s iPhone 12 along with several other phones by Samsung Galaxy S10 5G; Huawei Mate X; LG V50 ThinQ, etc.
The schedule of launch, however, varies from country to country. In the U.S., mobile network companies, including T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular, are the carriers working to roll-out 5G, and the expected date is in the year 2020. While in Chine, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom are the companies that are working on 5G; they expect it to be available for ruse in early 2021.
The world has become more mobile, and people are highly dependent upon technology in everyday activities. People are now consuming more data than ever, which is why the change expected via 5G is huge. 5G commits to provide:
- Greater speed
- Lower latency
- Widespread connectivity
How Will 5G Affect Android And IOS Apps?
Probably the most dominant question on people’s minds right now is how is 5G going to affect my app store? Well, you can expect a lot more new apps and upgrades on your existing apps. The dependency on apps is increasing every day.
Consumers downloaded 204 billion apps in 2019, while by 2020, there should be over 592 million daily app downloads. Everything, including telemedicine to online shopping, is now done via apps, and the future of apps will be greatly affected by the inclusion of 5G.
Let’s have a look at the effect of 5G on the apps, including IOS and android:
1. A.R., V.R., and M.R.
There would be a significant rise in the apps making use of “Artificial intelligence,” “Virtual Reality,” and “Mixed Reality.” Industries, including manufacturing, health, entertainment, etc. are making use of A.R. and V.R. already, and it is most likely to increase with the improved technology.
The load that A.R., V.R., and M.R. consume is huge, which is why on current 4G networks, it causes congestion. 5G is expected to reduce the distortion and smoothen the process in connectivity as well as stability. From a developer’s point of view, you must focus on learning AR/VR and M.R.
2. Video Streaming
Another huge aspect of 5G is the fast speed and quality of video streaming as compared to what we get right now. An enormous amount of video data is consumed on the Internet, and it is expected that 74% of mobile Internet traffic in 2024 would be of video consumers.
With the introduction of fast speed and low latency rates in 5G, it is expected that more video streaming platforms apps with live stream video data would emerge. It is also expected that consumers would be able to consume videos at 4K and 8K quality without any delay or buffering time.
- More than (44%) people now watch less T.V. because of video streaming apps
- 42% of the U.S. citizens have now live-streamed online content
- Live streaming is expected to reach $70.5 billion industry by 2021.
The demand for live-streaming apps would increase in both Apple and Google Play store in the coming time, so as a developer, you must focus on video-based app development.
3. IoT
Internet of things is yet another technology that is emerging lately, and with the emergence of 5G, it is expected to bloom even more. The Internet of Things is the technology that makes everyday things smart, but the integration is relatively less coherent due to the current 4G networks.
Currently, the most common application on the Internet of Things (IoT) includes Amazon Alexa, Google Home, smartwatches, etc. However, there are multiple aspects of IoT that aren’t currently easy to work with 4G networks. With the 5G technology, it is expected that smart home and technology would be widespread as the Internet would be at high speed, low latency, and increase capacity.
You may expect to see houses getting smarter using automated household products with the passage of time and widespread use of 5G.
4. Location Accuracy
5G will enable us with more precise, accurate, and cost-friendly information; the cellular and hybrid positioning services will enable a better location accuracy. The current location accuracy we get with 4G is 10-500 meters range, while with 5G, it is expected to be 1 meter, which is phenomenal.
5G is designed to target latencies with 1 millisecond and data rates up to 10 G.B. / sec, which will guarantee extremely precise location tracking. Location services and apps have already become quite popular among apps, and trackers are being used in several industries, with 5G it is expected to give even more seamless solutions from tracking as well as positioning aspect.
More GPS-enabled apps are likely to be seen in the coming days with improved coverage and connectivity and high-quality, uninterrupted conversations. This will help tourism apps as well as trackers and locators as well.
5. Gaming
For gamers, 5G is going to create a seamless and smooth experience as the delays and lags are expected to be minimized or reduced to almost negligible. You can expect more advanced mobile-based gaming apps, including A.R. and V.R.
The high speed and low latency of 5G are likely to reduce the long-running fixes and patches and make the data transmission smoother. 5G is expecting to provide a very less latency rate of around 1ms; meanwhile, 4G offers nearly 50ms latency, which means fast Internet and an uninterrupted gaming experience.
The speed at which data loads or transmits is one of the most crucial factors for app usability. If your app is slow, people are not going to continue using it. With 5G, users won’t have to wait anymore, and so the bounce rate is expected to decrease. Another prominent feature of 5G is the connectivity of multiple devices at one time, which will provide a consistent and steady gaming experience for several people at the same time.
Due to internet speed limitations, there are several aspects of gaming that are restricting a good gaming experience, which would be rectified with the introduction of 5G. We expect the level of video and gaming apps to be scaled up with the 5G technology, and games that currently require powerful systems would be readily available on your mobile devices.
An Exciting Time for Mobile App Developers
It is expected that with 5G, app features and user experiences are likely to improve drastically. The video streaming is likely to fasten, video calls would be more clear and locations precise. The use of augmented reality in apps will create more realistic experiences for the users, which gives the mobile app developers will get the opportunity to be more creative.
Health-related apps that are already being consumed by people are likely to become more commonplace, and people would be seen with wearable devices to track their health. More integrated apps for the health industry are likely to emerge. Moreover, customization will also become more common; users will seek custom Magento development services, customized themes, personalization of their devices, and more.
This is truly an exciting time for the app developers and marketers, as with the introduction of 5G, we would be expecting creative and seamless apps for video streaming, augmented and virtual reality, and more. There is an endless possibility of what is to come, and only time will reveal the truest uses and impacts of 5G on the world of digitization.
Author Bio:
Muhammad Shoaib is an SEO expert and a ghostwriter. Shoaib has years of experience under his belt and his work has been published on several notable sites and blogs. His areas of expertise includes digital marketing, small and medium enterprises, and eCommerce. In addition to freelance work, Shoaib often writes for Dynamologic Solutions.
