Your phone’s internet speeds are about to go through the roof thanks to 5G
Slow downloads and buffering Netflix videos will soon be a thing of the past thanks to a MAJOR upcoming revolution in the UK's mobile internet
BRITAIN'S mobile internet got a big speed bump in 2012 thanks to the arrival of 4G phone networks - but a MUCH speedier connection is on the way.
5G is expected to land in the UK in 2019 or 2020, and we're now getting some solid numbers that show exactly how fast your next smartphone might actually be.
It turns out that we could see download speeds improved by around nine times when 5G finally lands.
The first thing you need to know is that the 'G' in 5G just stands for generation, and it basically means the next generation of phone internet.
So when you're downloading movies or songs on a 5G network, they'll arrive much quicker. And if you're streaming Netflix in glorious 4K quality, it probably won't need to keep pausing to "buffer" your content.
UK networks (like EE) are busy preparing for the 5G roll-out, and next year's smartphones will have modems (the chips that let your phone connect to the internet) that can support 5G download speeds.
But exactly how quick will your next phone be?
US chipmaker Qualcomm – which builds processors and modems for the likes of Apple and Samsung – has tested real-world 5G speeds to give us an idea.
The company released its new figures at MWC 2018, building out a fake network that simulates 5G internet in Germany.
Browsing download speeds improved from a 4G average of 56 megabits-per-second, to more than 490 megabits-per-second for an average 5G user.
At that speed, an hour-long high-quality BBC iPlayer show would download in just 10 seconds.
What's important about these tests is that they're not lab-style trials that don't really reflect the real world speeds we'll be getting.
When 5G internet actually rolls out in Britain over the next few years, these are the sorts of speeds you can genuinely expect to see.
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Qualcomm's Alex Holcman says that now they're starting to get an idea of how fast 5G will be, they can begin helping developers to "begin planning new experiences and services for users with 5G devices".
Are you excited for super-fast 5G internet? Let us know in the comments.
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