BY DAYO ADESULU
While the issue of acceptability of the 5G networks, otherwise referred to as Fifth Generation network lingers in the third world countries, no fewer than 34 countries have as of January 2020, deployed it in 378 cities.
South Korea, China, and the United States are the countries that lead the world in building and deploying 5G technology to their cities.
However, the top ten countries of a leader at the forefront of 5G network comprises South Korea having a 5G network in 85 cities, followed by China -57, United States – 50, United Kingdom – 31 and Saudi Arabia with 24 cities.
Others in the second category with 5G in their cities are Spain having it in 15 cities, followed by the United Arab Emirates, UAE with 11. Australia has in 10 cities, Germany -10 and Romania having 5G mounted in 10 cities.
The aforementioned countries who have adopted the 5G network argued that despite its danger to human beings, its importance surpasses its disadvantages.
They posited that as more devices connect to the Internet, the need for high-speed 5G networks becomes more critical.
5G technology, according to experts offers at least one gigabit per second for connection speeds, shorter delays than 4G technology, and millimetre-wave (mmW) bands for supporting applications requiring large capacity.
Digitalization of industries and the Internet of Things (IoT) will mostly benefit technology companies at first, but ultimately the technology will benefit the public through new services and applications.
These global leaders believe that any countries that want to stay competitive in the global economy must adapt to 5G technology at an increasingly rapid pace.
Meanwhile, the race to see which country will have the best 5G network has begun in earnest. Communication service providers around the world are battling one another to build-out, validate, and deploy commercial 5G networks.
South Korea is ahead of other countries in 5G deployment. The country has rolled out 5G to 85 cities as of Jan. 2020. Government officials estimate 90% of Korea’s mobile users will be on a 5G network by 2026.
The key to South Korea’s success seems to stem from the collaboration of three carriers that have worked on 5G deployment: SK Telecom, LG Uplus, and KT Corp.
As of Jan. 2020, China had deployed 5G technology in 57 cities. In Oct. 2019, three major wireless carriers in China launched 5G networks: China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom.
While coverage is limited in some areas, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen are the cities with the best coverage thus far.
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) projects China will have 460 million 5G connections by 2025.
For the United States, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Spectrum Frontiers Order laid the groundwork for the use of 5G technology in the United States.
As of Jan. 2020, 5G had been deployed in 50 cities in the United States. Sprint has rolled out mobile 5G in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C. AT&T has made its mobile 5G+ network live for consumers in parts of 35 cities and 190 markets.
In the case of Sweden, Swedish-Finnish operator Telia Company AB and Swedish provider Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) reported that Stockholm, Sweden, and Tallinn, Estonia went live with their 5G test network on Dec. 20, 2018.
It’s projected that both Estonia and Sweden will have a commercially available 5G network in 2020, although it’s likely to take several years before most people have access.
