DOES 5G MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
All four new iPhone models sold in the US will have both sub-6 and millimeter-
wave 5G bands. Apple heavily pushed multiplayer games such as League of
Legends as a reason to get 5G, but the company also suggested that uploading
videos and using business collaboration software would both get a big boost.
“[Verizon’s] 5G ultra wideband provides you with super low latency, so
experiences like multiplayer gaming feel like they’re happening in real time,”
Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said at the event.
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4G can, yet. This summer, we tested 4G and 5G in 26 cities. Verizon’s network
was fast, but it was available in only 4 percent of our locations. In October, we
found a new “nationwide” Verizon 5G network ready to go, but its speeds are
slower than 4G. AT&T’s 5G network is also slower than 4G. T-Mobile’s 5G
network came out much faster than its 4G network, but the results overall were
still in the 4G range. I suspect they’ll be better now that T-Mobile has greatly
expanded its citywide mid-band networks.
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because of 5G. Yes, there are 5G consumer applications in the works—streaming
game services and high-res, multiple-party video could be neat during this
COVID-19 year. But the networks can’t handle them, and Verizon’s and AT&T’s
networks won’t be able to handle them without new airwaves, which the iPhone
12 line doesn’t support.
Critical new 5G airwaves, called the C-band, will be auctioned in December, and
Verizon and AT&T are likely to pick those up. If that happens, the two
companies will be able to roll out fast, citywide 5G networks starting in late
2021 or 2022. The new iPhones might support C-band; nobody is saying. They
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operate on the C-band in the US yet.
So why is Apple hustling so hard on 5G? Two reasons: carriers and China. Apple
likes to play that it has all of the power in its relationship with US carriers, but
that’s not really true. Many iPhones are still sold through carrier stores, and
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feature its 5G UW.