As you walk down the street in a major city or suburb, you likely will have no problem getting a strong cellphone signal that allow you to do whatever it is you want from your smartphone.
You can make phone calls, text and catch up on your emails. Thanks to 5G availability in these parts of the country, you can likely even stream videos and music without interruption.
Then, as you arrive at your destination and walk inside, your data comes to a screeching halt. Your call drops. Your music or video stops playing.
Not until you find out what the local coffee shop’s free Wifi network is, or enter your apartment where your phone is already connected, will you be able to resume whatever it is you were doing just seconds before.
Despite major network carriers throughout the country promising that 5G is the future of indoor connectivity, the reality is that thought it still somewhere way off in the distance. In other words, relying on 5G exclusively for connectivity isn’t feasible.
Instead, in order to ensure seamless connectivity, there must be a convergence of different internet technologies — from 5G to Wifi networks based off broadband. Today, it’s incumbent on owners of multi-dwelling unit properties to provide this seamless connectivity to their residents.
While providing 5G service is not within their control, providing best-in-class Wifi is.
5G is Here, But Not Really Before 5G officially rolled out a few years ago, there were promises that the technology would literally change our world. 5G wasn’t just about more speed and more bandwidth; it would enable new ways of doing things.
5G proponents promised life-altering services such as autonomous vehicles that could be powered over the new network, forever eliminating traffic jams and car accidents caused by human error. Through this and many other foresights, network carriers were promising almost a new utopia of connectivity.
Three years after the official launch of 5G, and it’s anything but the utopia networks foreshadowed.
A report compiled by Ookla at the end of last year found that the United States is among the leaders in 5G rollout in terms of availability. The study found that almost half of U.S. mobile users are connected to 5G for a majority of their browsing time. At 49.2%, that put the U.S. at the top of the list of all countries studied.
However, where the U.S. is lacking is in 5G speed.
The Ookla report found the median 5G download speed in the U.S. was only 93.73 Mbps. The leader in that category was South Korea, with median download speeds more than five times greater at 492 Mbps.
Remember, 5G was touted as more than just increased speed. But, if the speed isn’t there, the reliability won’t be either.
Why 5G is So Slow 5G in the U.S. isn’t really 5G, which is why it’s not living up to the hype. Many major network carriers increased the rollout of the service by using technology called DSS, or Dynamic Signal Sharing.
DSS made it easy for networks to rollout 5G because they didn’t need new equipment or spectrum bands to make it available. They could just use the exact same bands they already had setup for 4G LTE.
What this means is that while your smart device will show “5G” at the top right of the screen, it’s much more akin to its predecessor in terms of performance. In fact, Verizon Wireless even describes its 5G service as “comparable to [its] award-winning 4G LTE.” That doesn’t exactly sound the same as the life-altering promises that were made about 5G.
5G Has Trouble Penetrating Buildings 5G hasn’t been able to overcome one of the biggest challenges that cellular data has always faced — it doesn’t penetrate buildings well. So, despite the fact that your smart device can get 5G service, you may have to hang out the window of your apartment to get it. And even then, the speed is likely to be much slower than you’d like, or need.
“Unfortunately, 5G is still not a fully-deployed network. By the time we get there, we might already be talking about 6G,” says Barry Rubens, chief executive of Elauwit, a boutique national telecom service provider.
This means that, when people are inside, they need different connectivity technology to power their world. That technology is Wifi service backed by broadband networks — and this is where MDU property owners can play a powerful role in keeping their residents happy.
By building out an impressive Wifi network not just in individual units but throughout the property, you will be ensuring your residents have a seamless transition from one connectivity technology to the next.
They can use 5G cellular data to stream music as they drive onto the property. Then, as they get out of their car, their devices can automatically connect to the omni-present and always-on Wifi beamed throughout your buildings and common areas. When they enter their apartment, they’ll automatically connect to their in-unit Wifi.
Throughout the entire process, they’ll never experience a drop in service — and they’ll have you to thank.
5G is great in theory, but it’s completely inadequate for all your residents’ connectivity needs. Their experience should always be equal to or better than what they had before, never worse.
The only way to do that today is to provide residents with a convergence of connectivity technologies so they never experience a disruption of service. As the owner of an MDU property, you have the power to give this to them — and we can help.
Contact Elauwit today to find out how we can provide