Will “real 5G”, announced by operators for 2024, concern the general public?

After a launch announced as a revolution, 5G since 2021 has not ultimately changed much. In the lives of consumers, it mainly boils down to an increase in their package. In 2024, “real 5G” will arrive, according to operators. What does this mean?

Operators are announcing the activation of “real 5G” from 2024. It’s hard to understand. 5G has been around since 2021. Remember all the hype leading up to its launch. A revolution was announced: downloading at the speed of light, the possibility of remote surgery, the rise of the autonomous car. However, that didn’t change much. 4G allows you to download what you want in a very satisfactory way and in terms of new uses, the landscape is roughly the same.

Desaturate 4G channels

The only new thing is the general increase in package prices. All investments around 5G had to be made profitable. This increase naturally dampened enthusiasm and only 10 million French people subscribed to it, that is to say barely 13% of SIM cards.

Today, operators are talking about the arrival in 2024 of “real 5G”. This actually illustrates all the miscommunication around this technology. In 2020, it’s not that they lied, but rather that they sold dreams. The objective of 5G, deployed for three years, was above all to avoid saturation of current 4G networks. For example, in a stadium with tens of thousands of people, we encountered more and more difficulties connecting with 4G. 5G was becoming necessary, simply because it added additional channels. But to push us to change plans, we had to sell us a dream. Hence the hype about telemedicine and new uses.

What is 5G used for?

But to activate these new uses, the core of the operators’ network also had to switch to 5G. This change will take place in 2024. From then on, transmissions will be able to take place at lightning speed, with very little latency. This will finally make it possible to perform surgery or control a vehicle remotely, as if you were on site. And that’s it, the famous “real 5G” which we already call 5G+.

Communication around this true 5G will probably not be repeated. Operators have surely learned from their mistakes. They will instead promote 5G to those who will really benefit from it, that is to say manufacturers. For the general public, it is rather time to keep a low profile. And to gradually deploy 5G in all plans.