5g
What is 5G?
5G (fifth generation) is the name of a standard for mobile Internet and mobile telephony. 5G is to build on the existing Long Term Evolution of mobile networking. What makes it so different is that instead of focusing solely on the speed aspect of data, like the preceding networks 3G and 4G, it focuses on reducing the latency (delay) as well as increasing the connection density while also increasing speed.
A Timeline of 5G
Click image to open in new window. Best viewed horizontally.
The devices we use produce and transmit data, and we live in a world that threatens to drown in a flood of data. 5G technology will be of great importance when it comes to profiting from the rapid increase in available data. It will become like a superpower for already existing technology like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and the Internet of Things (IoT) (Dragičević et. al, 2019).
A Video Overview
We invite you to watch the video What is 5G and What Can It Do? as a basic introduction on this new mobile connection system some call The Future of the Internet.
Focus for viewing: How will 5G enhance the quality of your life and of those around you? Think of the improvements it brings in terms of speed, latency, and connection density. Can you think of specific activities that will become easier because of 5G?
When and Where Can You Have Access to 5G?
Bell, Rogers and Telus, are three of the largest Canadian providers. All three have selected Ericsson to help support in building the 5G network in Canada, which is now available in certain areas. Click on your provider above to see if their 5G network is available in your area. Below are two explanatory videos from Ericsson:
Activity - 5G wordcloud
If implementing this OER in a group, you can use the questions below to create your own wordcloud*. If working individually, consider the words that appear in the wordcloud below. Would you add a new word to it? Given that the larger the font of the word, the more important it was for the group of students who created it, would you give the same level of importance to the same words? What would your wordcloud look like?
*This wordcloud was created during the summer of 2020 by graduate students of the ETEC 523 course at University of British Columbia using Poll Everywhere.