Understand what 5G is and how it should work in the daily lives of Brazilians

The auction of 5G, a new mobile network technology, takes place this Thursday (4), in Brasília, carried out by the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel). Analysis of the proposals for frequency bands, divided into national and regional blocks, continue throughout the day, and may continue on Friday (5).

The companies Claro, Vivo and Tim have already secured licenses to operate 5G in the country, in addition to new operators being announced at the event. The economics analyst at CNN Priscila Yazbek separated three points to understand what the 5G implementation in Brazil is and how it should work.

What is 5G?

5G is a new generation of mobile internet, which promises speeds up to 100 times faster than 4G, as well as less latency — that is, less response time and data transfer from one point to another. Latency is measured in milliseconds (ms). The 4G network is between 68 and 98ms, while on the 5G the latency will be less than 1ms.

How will 5G be used on a daily basis?

For personal use, 5G will offer faster downloads and uploads. The possibility of autonomous cars operating in Brazil is also gaining strength with the new technology, as the shorter latency time ensures more safety by avoiding accidents. In business, applications range from telemedicine to agriculture and livestock, also passing through industry, which will be able to support more connections between its equipment.

When will 5G arrive for the population?

In capitals, the deployment of 5G (via base radios) should take place by July 2022. Municipalities with less than 30,000 inhabitants should receive at least one base radio of the new technology by 2029. However, it is worth noting that in many Brazilian cities and peripheral neighborhoods of capitals still predominate the use of 3G, so the arrival of 5G should take a little longer in these places.