What Is 5G—and How Will It Improve Rural Internet?

5G is the fifth generation of wireless technology. It’s faster and more responsive than 4G cellular networks, giving you the ability to hit up to gigabit download speeds on a cell phone (in some areas, at least). But it’s still emerging technology, and it comes in a few different types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

We’ve been following every update around 5G closely, so we put together a guide to explain how it works, where you can find it, and the ways it could have a positive impact on internet in rural areas. Read on for the full report on 5G.

5G promises much faster speeds and lower latency for cellular users, making it much easier to do complex tasks like online gaming or streaming movies over the phone. It will reduce network congestion in densely populated areas (like sports stadiums or hospitals) and open up a whole new range of uses for cellular data.

5G is still in the early stages of development, so it may be a while before it brings about any major changes to our daily lives. But it has a lot of potential. In rural areas, experts believe it could have a massively positive impact on farming and agriculture, since it can be used to power self-driving tractors and control wireless sensors that will manage crops and livestock.¹

Like 4G and 4G LTE—the previous wireless standards that drive our cell phones—5G works by using radio frequencies and transmitters to carry data from a centralized phone network to our mobile devices.

Most 5G networks currently rely on 4G infrastructure to get the job done. But companies like T-Mobile are also building “standalone” 5G networks. Built using novel technology, these brand new networks carry much more data than what was possible with 4G and have other flexible features to manage more devices (and different types of devices) simultaneously.

Here’s a breakdown of 5G technology:

• Millimeter-wave. The fastest version of 5G relies on a previously unused spectrum of radio frequencies, called millimeter waves, to deliver record-fast speeds over only very short ranges.
• Beamforming. With beamforming, 5G radio transmitters use an array of antennas to shape radio signals in a way that directly targets individual devices, making data transfers more efficient.
• Massive MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output). Deployed alongside beamforming, massive MIMO boosts the number of antennas installed on radio towers, increasing the tower’s capacity to carry more data for a larger number of users.
• Edge computing. Previous cellular standards relied on central networking hubs and cloud computing, but now cell carriers are building networks of local servers closer to the user to process our internet signals with greater speed and flexibility.

There are three basic types of 5G—millimeter-wave, mid-band, and low-band.

Millimeter-wave 5G delivers dazzling speeds, with one national speed test reporting average speeds of 494.7 Mbps from Verizon.²

Mid-band 5G has a wider range and slightly slower speeds, though it’s still really fast. Low-band 5G has the widest range. The analytics company Opensignal recently found AT&T’s mid- and low-band 5G delivering average speeds of 60.8 Mbps, while T-Mobile announced in October 2020 that its mid-band frequencies can hit up to 300 Mbps download speeds.^{2, 3}

These different 5G flavors all have different strengths, so they each can be deployed for different purposes and use cases.

• Millimeter-wave 5G (28 GHz): Sports stadiums, parks, hospitals, factories
• Mid-band 5G (2.5–3.5 GHz): Cities, towns, mid- to low-density population areas
• Low-band 5G (600-700 MHz): Towns, rural communities, low-density population areas

You’re probably not going to find millimeter-wave 5G in a small town, but it could be an effective resource to power digital tools in that town’s hospital. And low-band 5G would be extremely useful in a rural area where the only other way to get internet access is through satellite.

5G coverage is available only in major cities and towns right now.

Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are the three major cellular carriers launching 5G in the United States, and you can access 5G on any of their networks if it’s available in your area. Naturally, you’ll need a wireless plan with one of the providers and a 5G phone or other device to access the network.

Cellular carriers are racing to expand 5G nationwide, but it will take a few years before it’s easily accessible. T-Mobile has the largest network thus far, with a recent merger with Sprint giving it a bigger 5G footprint. It’s pledged to extend 5G access to 50% of American households by the year 2026.³

Verizon expanded its nationwide 5G network in October 2020, adding low- and mid-band versions of 5G that will eventually serve more than 200 million people.⁴ Up until then, Verizon focused on building out millimeter-wave 5G, which delivered much faster speeds but in isolated urban centers.

5G is not currently available in many rural areas in the United States, but some versions of 5G may appear on the horizon in the coming years.

Since building a 5G network requires a lot of new infrastructure, these days cellular companies are prioritizing areas with larger populations (and hence more paying customers). But low-band and mid-band forms of 5G will likely come into use in smaller towns and rural areas, while millimeter-wave 5G could be used in rural factories, healthcare centers, and agricultural sites to connect Wi-Fi tools.

Indeed, introducing 5G in rural areas could be a game-changer, giving users the opportunity to get faster speeds and better performance in areas that otherwise have limited Wi-Fi access.

In addition to mobile networks, 5G also has a home internet option.

5G internet works similarly to fixed-wireless internet. A 5G transmitter—usually affixed to a light post or electrical utility box—will send a signal to nearby apartment buildings and residential complexes, providing internet service to customers who live inside.

5G home internet is relatively new and not widely available, mostly limited right now to a handful of major American cities. But 5G internet could become a lot more popular over the coming years as more cellular providers build up their 5G networks. And in the meantime there’s another, much more accessible option for rural customers—4G LTE Home Internet.

Though it may take some years before 5G is widely available in rural America, 4G LTE home internet is a great option right now for rural internet customers.

Verizon, T-Mobile, and several other providers offer well-priced 4G LTE home internet options. Although speeds vary depending on where you are in the provider’s service area, most plans fall in the range of 10–25 Mbps. And you get more monthly data than you would get from a satellite plan—usually unlimited data. Slam dunk!

Sure, it may not be 5G. But four Gs are better than none.

The iPhone 12 is arguably the most popular 5G phone available right now. But lots of 5G phones and other devices are coming out on the market, and it’s only a matter of time before every standard cell phone comes with 5G compatibility.

Here’s a breakdown of some of our favorite 5G phones and devices so far:

5G is a wireless communication standard that delivers faster speeds and lower latency to phones, devices, and applications connected over a cellular network. It follows on 4G wireless standards and incorporates new technology to deliver better performance.

5G stands for the “fifth generation” of cellular technology. It follows in the footsteps of 4G, 3G, 2G, and 1G cellular standards.

A 5G network is a wireless cellular network that delivers internet data to cell phones, mobile devices, and computers. Most 5G networks right now build on 4G radio towers and other infrastructure, but in the coming years 5G providers will be building standalone networks featuring entirely new tech that makes 5G faster and more responsive.