There are three types of 5G networks, namely: Low-band 5G, Mid-band 5G, and High-band (mmWave) 5G. Below are quick summaries of these different types of 5G networks, followed by detailed explanations in the sections after.
- Low-band 5G: This is the most widespread type of 5G network and is used by most carriers. It has a longer range and better penetration through walls than other types of 5G networks but suffers from lower speeds.
- Mid-band (C-band) 5G: This type of 5G network offers faster speeds than low-band 5G but has a shorter range.
- High-band (mmWave) 5G: This type of 5G network offers the fastest speeds but has the shortest range and is the least widespread type of 5G network.
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Types of 5G networks: Low-band 5G
Low-band 5G is a type of 5G network that has a frequency range of 600 MHz to 700 MHz. It provides coverage across a large area and has lower speeds than other types of 5G networks. Low-band 5G is also less affected by obstacles like walls and trees than high-band (mmWave) 5G.
Low-band 5G is ideal for providing coverage across a large area and has lower speeds of around 50 Mbps – not much improvement on 4G. This makes it ideal for covering wide outdoor spaces and transmitting data deep into an indoor environment. It is also the easiest type of 5G network to deploy, as it uses existing LTE equipment and resources. This is why it is also the slowest type of 5G.
Types of 5G networks: Mid-band 5G
Mid-band 5G is also called “sub-6GHz” because it includes radio frequencies ranging from 1GHz to 6GHz. Mid-band spectrum is considered perfect for 5G because it can carry plenty of data while traveling significant distances. This is the type of 5G network that has been most popularly deployed in metropolitan areas of the United States till date.
Because of the fair balance between speed and coverage that mid-band 5G provides, it is considered perfect for 5G. In terms of range, it is similar to low-band 5G: (it can transmit network signal over significant range). In terms of capacity, it is similar to high-band 5G (it provides increased capacity for faster speeds and lower latency). Mind-band 5G is also often referred to as C-band 5G.
Types of 5G networks: High-band (mmWave) 5G
High-band (mmWave) 5G is the fastest type of 5G network. It uses frequencies between 24 GHz and 100 GHz. High-band 5G is also called millimeter wave (mmWave) because it uses wavelengths that are measured in millimeters. High-band 5G has the potential to deliver faster speeds than low-band and mid-band 5G, but it has a shorter range and is more easily blocked by obstacles like walls and trees.
High-band (mmWave) 5G offers extremely high bandwidth and low latency. As such, it delivers much faster speeds and less delay to end users. mmWave 5G is excellent for industrial, medical, and military applications, as these use-case scenarios require high network speed and extremely low latency. This is the type of 5G network that delivers multiple Gbps speeds. You can’t be wrong for saying mmWave is “true 5G”. High-band, mmWave is a standalone 5G network.
But mmWave is also the most expensive type of 5G and the most difficult to roll out. It is also the rarest type of 5G. Because of this, not many carriers around the world have deployed High-band (mmWave) 5G. Not many 5G smartphones and routers support it too.
What type of 5G network is the best?
The best type of 5G network depends on what you need it for. If you want the fastest speeds and don’t mind limited coverage, high-band (mmWave) 5G is the way to go. If you want more coverage and don’t need the fastest speeds, low-band 5G is a good choice. Mid-band 5G is a good compromise between speed and coverage.
Deployment of the different types of 5G networks
Most carriers around the world, including in the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia, Germany and other European Union countries have deployed low-band and mid-band 5G networks. A few have deployed mmWave networks.
All the three major U.S. carriers have rolled out mmWave technology in targeted areas. AT&T calls their mmWave network “5G Plus (5G+)“, Verizon calls theirs “5G Ultra Wideband” (5G UWB), and T-Mobile uses the name “Ultra Capacity 5G“.
In Canada, the most popular type of 5G network is mid-band. The first 5G MMwave private network in Canada was deployed by Terago in March 2023 for industrial use.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the communications regulator, Ofcom, is making moves to make mmWave spectrum available to operators. In the meantime,
In Australia, Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone already have active mmWave 5G networks, albeit in limited deployment in major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
- Low-band 5G (source)
Kuna aina tatu za mitandao ya 5G: 5G ya bendi ya chini, 5G ya bendi ya kati, na 5G ya bendi ya juu (mmWave). Hapa chini ni muhtasari wa aina hizi tofauti za mitandao ya 5G, ikifuatiwa na maelezo ya kina katika sehemu zifuatazo. Low-band 5G ni aina ya mtandao wa 5G unaotumiwa na waendeshaji wengi. Ina uwezo wa kupenya kwa njia ya kuta kuliko aina nyingine za mitandao ya 5G, lakini ina kasi ya chini. 5G ya bendi ya kati (C-band) - Mtindo huu wa mtandao wa 5G hutoa kasi ya haraka kuliko 5G ya bendi ya chini lakini ina safu fupi. 5G ya High-Band (mmWave) - Mtindo huu wa mtandao wa 5G hutoa kasi ya haraka lakini una safu fupi na ni aina ya chini ya kuenea ya mtandao wa 5G. 5G ni aina ya mtandao wa 5G wa bendi ya chini, ambayo ina masafa ya masafa ya 600 MHz hadi 700 MHz. Inatoa chanjo katika eneo kubwa na ina kasi ya chini kuliko aina nyingine za mitandao ya 5G. 5G ya bendi ya chini pia huathiriwa kidogo na vizuizi kama vile kuta na miti kuliko 5G ya bendi ya juu (mmWave). Low-band 5G ni bora kwa ajili ya kutoa chanjo katika eneo kubwa na ina kasi ya chini ya karibu 50 Mbps - si kuboresha sana juu ya 4G. Hii inafanya kuwa bora kwa ajili ya kufunika nafasi kubwa nje na kupitisha data kina ndani ya mazingira ya ndani. Hii ni aina ya mtandao wa 5G rahisi zaidi kuanzisha, kwa sababu inatumika kwa vifaa vya LTE na rasilimali zilizopo. Hii ni kwa nini ni aina ya polepole zaidi ya 5G. 5G ni mtandao wa kati wa 5G, ambao unajulikana kama sub-6GHz, na una frequency za redio kutoka 1GHz hadi 6GHz. Spektrum ya katikati ya bendi ni bora kwa 5G kwa sababu inaweza kubeba data nyingi wakati wa kusafiri umbali mkubwa. Mtandao wa 5G ni mojawapo ya mitandao ya kwanza ya 5G kuanzishwa katika maeneo ya mji mkuu wa Marekani. Kwa sababu ya usawa wa haki kati ya kasi na chanjo ambayo 5G ya bendi ya kati hutoa, inachukuliwa kuwa kamili kwa 5G. Kwa upande wa wigo, ni sawa na 5G ya bendi ya chini: inaweza kusambaza ishara ya mtandao juu ya wigo mkubwa. Kwa upande wa uwezo, ni sawa na 5G ya bendi ya juu (inatoa uwezo ulioongezeka kwa kasi ya juu na latency ya chini). Mind Band 5G pia inajulikana kama C-Band 5G. Mtandao wa 5G unajulikana kama High-Band (mmWave) au High-Band (mmWave) 5G. Inatumia masafa kati ya 24 GHz na 100 GHz. 5G ya bendi ya juu pia inaitwa wimbi la milimita (mmWave) kwa sababu hutumia urefu wa wimbi unaopimwa katika milimita. 5G ya bendi ya juu ina uwezo wa kutoa kasi ya juu kuliko 5G ya bendi ya chini na katikati, lakini ina safu fupi na imefungwa kwa urahisi na vizuizi kama kuta na miti. 5G ya high-band (mmWave) inatoa upana wa bendi ya juu sana na latency ya chini. Kama vile, inatoa kasi ya haraka zaidi na kuchelewesha kidogo kwa watumiaji wa mwisho. 5G ya mmWave ni bora kwa matumizi ya viwanda, matibabu, na kijeshi, kwani hali hizi za matumizi zinahitaji kasi ya mtandao ya juu na latency ya chini sana. Mtandao wa 5G unaoweza kutoa kasi ya Gbps "Hakuna mtu anayeweza kusema kwamba mmWave ni ""G5 halisi.""" Mfumo wa 5G wa mmWave ni mtandao wa 5G wa kujitegemea. M-Wave ni aina ya 5G ya gharama kubwa zaidi na ngumu zaidi kuanzisha. Hii ni aina ya 5G isiyo ya kawaida. Kwa sababu hii, waendeshaji wengi duniani kote hawajaanzisha 5G ya High-band (mmWave). Kwa kweli, hakuna simu za rununu za 5G au router zinazohudumia teknolojia hii. Ni aina gani ya mtandao wa 5G bora? Aina bora ya mtandao wa 5G inategemea nini unahitaji. Ikiwa unataka kasi ya juu na haijalishi chanjo ndogo, high-band (mmWave) 5G ni njia ya kwenda. Ikiwa unataka chanjo zaidi na huhitaji kasi ya juu, 5G ya bendi ya chini ni chaguo nzuri. 5G ya bendi ya kati ni mpangilio mzuri kati ya kasi na chanjo. Utoaji wa mitandao ya 5G: Watoa huduma wengi duniani kote, ikiwa ni pamoja na Marekani, Uingereza, Canada, Australia, Ujerumani na nchi nyingine za Umoja wa Ulaya wametumia mitandao ya 5G ya bendi ya chini na ya kati. Wachache wametumia mitandao ya mmWave. Kampuni tatu kuu za mawasiliano nchini Marekani zimetumia teknolojia ya mmWave katika maeneo mbalimbali. AT&T inaita mtandao wao wa mmWave <unk> 5G Plus (5G+) <unk>, Verizon inaita yao <unk> 5G Ultra Wideband <unk> (5G UWB), na T-Mobile hutumia jina <unk> Ultra Capacity 5G <unk>. Katika Canada, aina maarufu zaidi ya mtandao wa 5G ni katikati ya bendi. Mtandao wa kwanza wa kibinafsi wa 5G wa MM wa Canada ulitumika na Terago mnamo Machi 2023 kwa matumizi ya viwanda. Ofcom, shirika la mawasiliano nchini Uingereza, limetoa taarifa ya kuanzisha mpango wa kutoa huduma za mawimbi ya mmWave kwa watumiaji. Katika Australia, Telstra, Optus na Vodafone tayari zina mitandao ya 5G ya mmWave, ingawa katika upanuzi mdogo katika miji mikubwa kama Sydney, Melbourne na Brisbane. - Low-band 5G (chanzo)