Mobile connectivity is improving each time. If we take a look back over the last 20 years, it's a major development that we have been experiencing from 3G to 5G. Now, 6G will soon penetrate our devices for a faster connection we've never seen before.
3G to 4G: The Early Days of Mobile Connectivity
T-Mobile, however, was the last of the major carriers to come out with their 3G service, back in 2008-the year Apple started its iPhone 3G, which would replace the slow EDGE network of AT&T for much faster 3G speeds. Sprint, meanwhile, was the first carrier to offer 4G speeds on its lines using WiMAX technology, and HTC Evo 4G was the very first device to tap into that new era of mobile data—two years on from 2010, according to Phone Arena.
Before long, Verizon even returned fire with the first 4G LTE ready for a U.S. carrier, detailing its release for December of 2010. However, Sprint's WiMax reigned supreme when it came to 4G LTE. It's also been said that the first smartphone to enable 4G LTE was HTC Thunderbolt.
This was the point where true high-speed mobile internet was finally introduced. This is when the interaction of how the users were experiencing the web on their phones was forever changed.
The Rise of 5G: A New Speed Frontier
5G arrived in the United States with AT&T, which was the first US carrier to implement 5G support way back in December 2018, though that early version could only be accessed via a mobile hotspot.
But it was another year before T-Mobile finally launched its first nationwide 5G network, based on its low-band 600MHz spectrum in December 2019. The first phones to offer access were the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren and Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G.
T-Mobile's 5G service has transformed a lot since then, especially after the acquisition of Sprint's 2.5GHz mid-band spectrum. This spectrum is often called the "Goldilocks" of wireless technology, being just right in terms of range and speed.
Mid-band 5G isn't nearly as fast as the short-range mmWave signals, but it is significantly faster than low-band 5G. Recently, my iPhone 15 Pro Max recorded an impressive 1.3Gbps download speed using this mid-band spectrum.
What to Expect from 6G by 2030
With 5G a new normal, attention is shifting to 6G, set to be launched around 2030. A recent White Paper published by 5G Americas explores what 6G might bring especially to the United States.
Among the key breakthroughs expected there: It will use the 7 GHz band for the first time and promises an increase in ten to twenty times capacity compared to that of 5G, much faster data rates, and reusing of base stations.
This is estimated to be a maximum of 16Gbps at average connection speeds for 6G cell sites, while for 5G, it is as low as 0.8Gbps. Now, although the 7GHz band coverage of 6G is not expected to be as massive as with 5G and 4G, 6G is believed to cover multiple bands to overcome those downsides.
6G Testing: A Glimpse of the Future
Although it is still years away from any kind of widespread 6G service, early tests are already showing just how fast this technology can be. Just last year, in Japan, the first test demonstrated downloads at an incredible 100 Gbps-120 times more than 5 G's peak data rate.
Considering such potential, 6G may find a way to revamp everything from mobile communication to data-driven industries, pushing boundaries that previously seemed impossible to reach.
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