Could 5G replace a fiber connection ?

Everyone is talking about the upcoming arrival of 5G and especially about the promise of a downstream speed that could reach or even exceed one gigabit per second. In the USA, some operators have already managed to reach a downstream speed of 6Gb/s in 5G when a vehicle is moving. The latency was only 1ms. So it is important to watch at the moment the Internet box promotion of the operators offering 5G, but is it possible that it replaces the optical fiber ?

Will the Internet box promo offer 5G ?

With these announcements, we can think that 5G will invade the French market and that it will even replace fiber optics in the very short term. All operators will offer an Internet box promo as soon as this 5G will be available on the whole country, but what about in practice ?

How 5G could eventually replace fiber optics ?

In theory, 5G could largely surpass fiber optics, but the practice is much more complex, because the very high speed that 5G can reach, depends on the number of its users connecting simultaneously on the same antenna. It is also necessary to take into account the distance between the antenna and the user, but also the smartphone used, the equipment and the various interferences between the transmitter and the receiver. The final output measured may be much less than initially announced.

5G: replacement or complement of fiber optics ?

Because of all these parameters, 5G is not close to replacing optical fiber to connect us to the Internet. It will just complete it. For example, 5G will be very useful in places where wireless communication is required, such as between autonomous vehicles or between cars and traffic lights equipped with the system, for example.

Finally, what is the point of 5G ?

The main interest of 5G is based on the uses that were not possible until now with 4G, because the latency time is too important or the speeds are too low. So the 5G is a new technology very interesting, because it will provide us the same uses as the optical fiber, but in mobility and not in sedentary.

5G is a revolutionary technology that may even make you think that it will be possible for surgeons to guide operations remotely by a robot equipped with very high speed, but it will not replace fiber optics, as it is simply its complement.