In addition to the existing channels, 5G will employ higher frequencies previously used only for short-range devices such as cordless phones. The promise of 5G is likewise connected to its technical characteristics: 5G most dramatically parts from 4G in terms of the frequencies used to relay information. Then 4G, the standard since 2009, made high-speed web access feasible, the final stage in fitting the world into every pocket. Next, 3G facilitated on-the-go video, making the phone into an entertainment system. The advent of 2G in 1991 brought cellphones - once a gadget of the rich - into popular use by switching from analog to higher-efficiency digital transmission. Each of the five generations of cellular has changed society in different ways, with distinct technical improvements generating new levels of digital access.
The fifth-generation standard for cellular communications, 5G has generated buzz since it was codified in 2017, beguiling consumers with visions of seamless videoconferencing and video-game streaming.
