What Is 5G? Discover the Power of 5G SA for Businesses

Carrying the promise of a faster, more connected future, 5G has been called the lifeblood of the new economy. While it's certainly true it deserves its place in the business headlines, the race for 5G has also generated claims that are confusing, exaggerated and at times downright misleading.  

This article helps business leaders cut through the 5G hype and provides a more realistic understanding of what 5G is, both in the immediate future and far into the upcoming decade. Read on to discover what you need to know about 5G technology, its benefits and its impact on businesses today.

What is 5G?

5G is the next generation of wireless technology. Just as 3G is now a non-factor, 5G will completely change how we harness the power of the internet today.

One of the most significant advancements is the introduction of 5G SA (5G Standalone) networks. Unlike earlier versions built on 4G infrastructure, 5G SA networks operate independently, unlocking the full potential of low latency, massive connectivity and ultra-fast speeds.

Why do we need 5G?

There are three major ways in which 5G will be transformative and beneficial for us all. With vastly improved speed, lower latency and greater capacity, 5G will equip businesses with internet speeds to spring ahead of their competition. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how does 5G works, its benefits and impact on businesses. 

Is 5G faster than Wi-Fi?

5G can be faster than traditional Wi-Fi networks, especially older Wi-Fi versions like Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5. However, the latest Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E can offer similar or even faster speeds in certain environments. The actual speed depends on factors like your internet plan, network congestion, and location.

What does 5G SA mean?

5G SA stands for 5G Standalone. It’s a version of 5G that operates on its own dedicated 5G network infrastructure, without relying on existing 4G systems. This delivers the full benefits of 5G, such as ultra-low latency, improved reliability, and network slicing.

5G is super-fast

The first improvement is the one causing the biggest ripples, primarily because it is the easiest to demonstrate. Simply put, 5G will be much faster than 4G—much, much faster.

At its fastest, 4G allows us to download at a rate of up to 50 megabits per second (Mbps). Even at average speeds, it is still generally at least 10 times faster than 3G. 5G technology, on the other hand, promises early download speeds of between 4 and 8 gigabits (Gbps) per second (1 gigabit equals 1,000 megabits), with the potential to reach 20 Gbps on the downlink. The speeds are so great that their greatest potential business applications are still at the imagination stage.

In the shorter term, it means that pretty much anything you want to download will be on your device within a matter of seconds—and that's only the tip of the speed iceberg.

5G is super reactive

The second improvement 5G technology will offer is a vast reduction in the delay between when a signal is received and its response. That delay is known as 'latency', and it is already pretty short, considering that with 4G, latency is measured in hundredths of a second. On 5G networks, however, latency will be as low as one-thousandth of a second ten times faster than it takes your brain to process an image.

Why is this characteristic of 5G technology considered a benefit? Low latency will play a vital role in applications where real-time response is critical, such as in remote surgery or self-driving cars.

5G is super connected

The third way in which 5G will leave previous mobile generations in the dust is its capacity the sheer number of devices it will be able to connect to at once. Currently, the target is to achieve up to
1 million simultaneous connections per square kilometer. This will be key in driving smart building and smart city initiatives.

The ultra-low latency of a 5G SA connection will be crucial in making fully autonomous self-driving cars a reality.

5G: A (realistic) overview

Given its promise, communications service providers (CSPs) worldwide have thrown themselves into bringing 5G technology to users as soon as possible. However, in reality, a complete move from 4G to 5G is huge; what ZDNet refers to as "a capital improvement project the size of the entire planet." So, it will happen, but it will also take time. Analyst Gartner only expects three regions (North America, China and Japan) to get even close to nationwide coverage in the next five years. Western Europe will take a few years to catch up, with the rest of the world reaping full benefits at the end of the next decade.

So why think of 5G now?

The race toward 5G is already pushing technology to surge forward. While 5G will be a great technological leap for us all, we will reach the finish line in a series of smaller but significant jumps. Long before any country completes a full nationwide 5G network, it will be launched in smaller pockets.

Here in Malaysia, Maxis the first company to bring 4G to the market, is already rolling out 5G. In addition, plans are already underway for Malaysia’s first 5G SA-enabled township. 

In fact, while the world slowly readies itself for widespread public 5G, CSPs are working with forward-thinking businesses to first deploy private 5G networks in contained areas such as factories, ports, stadiums, convention centres and corporate campuses. And while it is estimated that a majority of business leaders still do not fully understand the practical opportunities 5G will offer, Deloitte estimates that "more than 100 companies worldwide will have begun testing private 5G deployments by the end of 2020." While 100 may seem like a small number, it represents a significant step towards widespread adoption. After all, it is the forward-thinking business owners who will stay on top.

Immediate advances

In the meantime, technologies are advancing parallel to 5G, offering close-to-5G speeds and capacity. The later iterations of 4G, such as 4G LTE and 4G LTE-A deliver speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Proto-5G, a kind of extended 4G technology, is even faster and able to provide enhanced connectivity support.

In Malaysia, the launch of the first commercial narrowband-internet-of-things service (NB-IoT) also promises 5G-like capabilities in strategic technology hotspots around the country, including Cyberjaya, Putrajaya, KLCC, and more. These smaller-scale rollouts will be instrumental to both demonstrating the opportunities 5G has to offer as well as providing early platforms for future 5G applications to thrive.

Harness the benefits of the Maxis 5G Alliance Programme (M5GA) 

The future is endless with M5GA by Maxis. With this program we are creating an ecosystem of partnerships that will lead to 5G technological breakthroughs in the country. Each partnership journey will be tailored according to the enterprise’s needs, and our partners include Gamuda Land, Google Cloud and Huawei, just to name a few. Get a head start by getting the right 5G plan for your business today. Learn more about 5G capabilities and coverage in our 5G Network FAQs.

While it will take at least a decade for the whole world to fully adopt and benefit from global 5G availability, 5G benefits for business are already on the horizon. Forward-looking companies that understand the 5G advantages over 4G will be the first to leverage its speed, connectivity and low latency for competitive advantage.