In telecommunications , 5G is the fifth generation of cellular network technology, which mobile operators began deploying worldwide in as the successor to 4G. Like their predecessors, 5G networks are cellular networks, in which the service area is divided into small geographical areas called cells. All 5G wireless devices in a cell are connected to the Internet and the telephone network by radio waves through a base station and antennae in the cell.
Additionally, the increased bandwidth is expected to drive the adoption of 5G as a general Internet service provider ISP , particularly through fixed wireless access FWA , competing with existing technologies such as cable Internet , while also facilitating new applications in the Internet of Things IoT and machine-to-machine communication.
The increased bandwidth and lower latency of 5G networks enable highly responsive, large-scale IoT deployments, supporting diverse applications such as smart cities , connected infrastructure, industrial IoT, and automated manufacturing processes.
Unlike 4G, which was primarily designed for mobile broadband, 5G can handle millions of IoT devices with stringent performance requirements, such as real-time sensor data processing and edge computing.
Despite its performance improvements, 5G deployment faces challenges such as significant infrastructure investment, spectrum allocation, security risks, and concerns about energy efficiency and environmental impact associated with the use of higher frequency bands.
