Editor’s comment for May 2019

The problem with me is largely geographical – there’s a small wooded area on one side of me which was designed to act as a sound barrier against the busy road on the other side. It actually does nothing for the sound, but manages to block my mobile internet signal.

So I can get 4G (sort of) upstairs, but downstairs the dreaded H+ signal presides meaning I’m just about hitting 1MB download speeds. This is 3G – and it’s slow 3G. I never thought I’d ever say this but thank heavens for Virgin Media. I’m in a cable area and it’s pretty fast. Inside the confines of my house that is.

So as the country gears up for superfast 5G, I can’t help thinking we’re running before we can walk. I travel around a bit in my job and 4G mobile internet is unequivocally flaky. In some areas it’s like Usain Bolt; in others more like a tranquilised slug with a gammy leg.

As we become a ‘smarter’ society this could become a problem. It’s not just about faster speeds on mobile phones – we’re talking smart home appliances, smart cars and ultimately smart cities and towns which will rely on high-speed connectivity. It’s being muted that high speed, low latency connections could eventually mean the demise of traditional fixed-line broadband services. We shall see.

EE claims it will bring 4G to 95% of the population by 2020 and before long we’ll see UK networks rolling out the next generation of 5G devices. The major benefit of 5G will be its speed – expected to be able to reach speeds in excess of 1Gb/s (1000Mbit/s) quite comfortably in its early stages. Nice if you can get it.

I’m certainly no expert in mobile internet technology, but I’m hoping that the different infrastructure employed by 5G will lead to greater coverage and reliability. As I understand it, it will use higher radio frequencies that are less cluttered and capable of carrying more information at a faster rate.

The rub is that 5G signals will be less well suited to carrying information over long distances. They are easy to block with physical objects such as buildings and trees. To combat this, 5G will adopt multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) antennae to boost signals and capacity.

Transmitters will be smaller and positioned on buildings and street furniture rather than the somewhat imposing lofty masts that we’re accustomed to. Apparently 5G will support up to 1,000 more devices per metre than 4G.

Sounds fine and dandy, but as usual I suspect the devil will be in the detail!

Dave Tudor
Editorial Director