5G vs. 4G: actual wireless speeds compared

The speed of 4G has changed the way we use our smartphones and made possible the growth of mobile applications, video streaming and services that we would never have imagined with 3G. But 5G is now here (at least in some cities), offering even faster speeds and lower latency than today's advanced LTE networks can even dream of delivering.

We have not yet reached the Holy Grail. In our tests of 5G networks in a few cities across the country, we have not seen the sustained gigabit speeds promised by the fifth generation of connectivity. But that will change, predict the experts. That's what we expect from 5G when the next generation networks cover the country, and what we've seen compared to 4G until there.

5G vs. 4G: Comparative download speeds

5G: promise vs. reality

Maximum download speeds of several hundred megabits per second are only impressive if you compare them to the potential of 5G. Verizon and AT & T both expect the speeds of their 5G networks to reach 10 Gbps.

The first tests gave no speed close to this goal, but it is because operators need more spectrum to take full advantage of the potential of 5G. The high bandwidth millimeter band spectrum used by AT & T, Verizon and T-Mobile to launch their initial 5G networks will be complemented by medium and low bandwidth spectrum to enable 5G signals with both fast speeds and reliable coverage. .

But even the first 5G networks are much faster than their LTE predecessors. According to a new Opening reportUS 5G networks have maximum download speeds almost three times higher than 4G LTE networks at 1.8 Gbps / 678 ​​Mbps. (We have not yet seen such high top speeds in our networking tests on 5G or 4G networks in the US)

AT & T reports that its 5G E network (which is truly an advanced form of LTE) has an average speed that is twice as fast as downloads on its standard 4G LTE network. According to the operator, the 5G network, called 5G +, is already capable of gigabit speeds. Verizon indicates that its 5G network also reaches gigabit speeds, or even more than 2 Gbps. Sprint has set lower expectations for its 5G network, with top speeds of 1 Gbps and an average of 150 Mbps.

In our first tests on 5G networks, the operators' claims were (generally) true. Sprint's network, which uses a medium bandwidth spectrum, is slower but more reliable than the AT & T, T-Mobile and Verizon networks, which rely on a high bandwidth millimeter wave spectrum. This allows for faster speeds, but also requires users to move closer to a cell site to capture a 5G signal; It is also more difficult to get a 5G coverage inside on millimeter waves. We compared the mmWave-based Verizon network to Sprint's average 5G band in Chicago and found faster speeds on Verizon, but more reliable coverage on Sprint, especially indoors.

We've seen Verizon's download speeds in excess of 1Gbps in Chicago, and speeds of up to 900Mbps at AT & T in Las Vegas. T-Mobile's mmWave 5G network in New York was more widespread than the coverage pockets seen in Chicago and Vegas, but only reached 600 Mbps. Sprint's slower 5G network reached maximum speeds of 350-450 Mbps in Dallas, hovering below 200 Mbps for most tests, but covered the city more than mmWave. In Chicago, we saw similar results with Sprint, but at least we could get a 5G signal inside.

4G vs. 5G: What is possible?

The 5G is already 10 times faster than the 4G, which is incredibly cool. Theoretically, 5G devices can reach 10Gbps highs. But what does a person do with all this speed?

Well, in everyday life, little trouble, like forgetting to download a feature film before a flight disappears. The 5G will allow gigabit downloads in seconds. Even now, before the 5G was fully developed, I could download a one-hour, 48-minute movie in just 49 seconds on AT & T's 5G + network, which reached a maximum speed of 956 Mbps when I trials.

Adriane Blum, Director of Marketing at Ookla, said that you will still be able to do everything you did before the deployment of 5G, but what will happen is that it will happen at a clip that will look like a wink. . "

It's not just the crazy, fast top speeds of 5G that will improve our lives. The new generation of connectivity will also improve average speeds, as operators will be able to use new frequencies previously unused for the mobile, which would open up capabilities.

"You increase top speed, but you also increase speed at the worst time of the day at the worst place," said Ian Fogg, vice president of badytics at Opensignal.

This means that when you use your phone in congested areas, you enjoy reliable connectivity.

But perhaps more importantly, there are changes that we do not see coming.

"This kind of conversation has arisen with the evolution of each new wave of technology," Blum said. "Before 4G was ubiquitous, people were not listening to content on their phones all the time. There was just no bandwidth. And now, it's something that people do mostly on the phone. Whether we imagine it or not, consumers find a way to use it. "

Beyond faster speeds, the 5G will also offer lower latency. We have not been able to test this yet, but experts say 5G will reduce latency to less than a millisecond. According to Opensignal, 4G latency currently oscillates between 42.2 and 60.5 milliseconds in 40 major US cities, which is still long enough to be perceptible when using augmented or virtual reality. Reduced latency should make resuscitation and virtual reality ubiquitous.

Price 4G vs. 5G: How much does it cost faster?

Three of the four major carriers have not yet started charging a premium for 5G data plans, but they could do so.

5G data from Verizon It costs $ 10 more per month, in addition to an existing unlimited data plan, which starts at $ 85 a month. At the moment, Verizon is waiving these fees, although this is a limited time offer as it creates a 5G coverage.

And AT & T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson said at a corporate earnings call in April that 5G data plans would likely be tiered, similar to broadband home plans. If you buy Netgear Nighthawk 5G mobile access point, only AT & T 5G device aimed at consumers, 15GB of data will cost $ 70 per month. The operator does not yet offer 5G smartphone data plans to consumers, but an unlimited LTE data plan starts at $ 70 a month.

T Mobile and Sprint Do not charge customers for a separate 5G data plan, but both operators require you to activate a 5G phone with an unlimited data plan. In the case of T-Mobile, this is the recently renamed Magenta Plan, which costs $ 70 per month for a line. Sprint requires you to purchase Unlimited Premium, its most expensive package, at $ 80 a month for a single line and $ 60 for an additional line.

4G: faster than ever

The good news: even though it took a while for 5G networks to reach their full potential, mobile operators are simultaneously working on their 4G LTE networks. 4G is now more widespread, reliable and faster than ever. This is crucial because unlike previous generations of network connectivity, 4G and 5G will coexist.

In 2014, when the Internet testing and data badysis company Ookla started to aggregate and badyze mobile speeds since its Speedtest application, the average download speed on the 4G was 15.19 Mbps. According to last report of the company, which badyzed speed test data of 4.1 million unique devices in the first half of this year, download speeds averaged 34.14 Mbps. Latency increased from 73 to 47 milliseconds during this period.

Milan Milanovic, a network expert residing at Ookla, recalled having seen maximum download speeds of 50 Mbps during some tests in 2010, while 4G was in its infancy. Now, LTE devices can reach hundreds of megabits per second.

All operators have worked in recent years to increase LTE speeds and improve coverage to ease the transition to 5G. But a single carrier has rolled out a new label to describe its efforts: AT & T. And despite the controversy around its 5G E logo, which has caused some subscribers to think they do not have 5G, AT & T offers now the fastest LTE network in the United States. According to Ookla, download speeds average 32.91 Mbps on the AT & T network.

"AT & T adds more lanes to the highway and adds more frequency bands," said Milanovic. "If you have a [5G E] compatible, the network is ready to serve you simultaneously four or five channels, which means faster speeds and faster tasks. "

Milanovic noted that other operators are doing the same thing, but they do not stick 5G tags on their advanced LTE networks. The Verizon network, which tops our list of the fastest wireless networks in 2018, is no longer as fast as AT & T and T-Mobile, but is more reliable in more regions than it is competitors. In other words, you're more likely to be 3G-oriented at AT & T than at Verizon.

Perspective

Just as 4G has changed our lives with video streaming and video streaming, the speeds of 5G will allow new ways of doing things.

"We are in a period of extraordinary change, and this will happen very quickly," said Ookla Blum. "We've talked a lot about 5G, and it's been very speculative, deep in a lab somewhere under development and testing. This is the first year we can say that 5G has arrived.

"It's not there for everyone, and it will take time to do it," added Blum. "But it's here. I think that over the next two years, growth will be breathtaking. "

* Based on Tom's Guide's tests