4G: Typically offers download speeds ranging from 10 to 100 Mbps. This is sufficient for most current applications like HD video streaming, quick downloads, and smooth online gaming.
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5G: Significantly faster, with potential speeds up to 10 Gbps, though real-world applications currently range between 50 Mbps to 1 Gbps. This makes 5G ideal for high-bandwidth applications such as 4K video streaming, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR).
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Latency
4G: Latency ranges from 60 to 98 milliseconds, which is adequate for most current applications but can cause delays in real-time interactions.
5G: Offers latency as low as 1 millisecond, which is crucial for applications requiring real-time data processing, such as autonomous vehicles, remote surgery, and industrial automation.
Capacity
4G: Can handle a moderate number of devices simultaneously, but struggles with high-density areas and the increasing number of connected devices in smart cities and IoT applications.
5G: Designed to handle a much larger number of devices simultaneously, supporting up to 1 million devices per square kilometer. This is essential for the growth of IoT and smart city applications.
Applications
4G: Primarily used for mobile broadband services, including video streaming, social media, and mobile gaming. It also supports basic IoT applications but with limitations in terms of speed and latency.
5G: Enables a wide range of advanced applications, including:
Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB): Supports high-speed internet access for mobile devices, enabling 4K/8K video streaming, VR, and AR.
Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC): Critical for applications requiring high reliability and low latency, such as autonomous vehicles, remote surgery, and industrial automation.
Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC): Supports a large number of IoT devices, making it suitable for smart cities, smart homes, and industrial IoT applications.
Network Architecture
4G: Uses a monolithic core infrastructure (Evolved Packet Core or EPC), which can create bottlenecks in performance when handling higher data rates and device density expected with 5G.
5G: Introduces a cloud-native core architecture with a service-based architecture (SBA), allowing for more flexible and efficient network operations. This includes dynamic resource allocation, advanced sleep modes for energy efficiency, and full end-to-end network slicing capabilities.
Deployment Models
4G: Typically uses a distributed RAN (D-RAN) model where processing is done at the cell site.
In summary, 5G technology offers significant improvements over 4G in terms of speed, latency, capacity, and application support. These advancements are crucial for enabling the next generation of mobile and IoT applications, making 5G a transformative technology for the future of connectivity.