Could 5G replace a fiber connection ?

Everyone is talking about the upcoming arrival of 5G and especially about the promise of a downstream speed that can reach or even exceed one gigabit per second. In the USA, some operators have already managed to reach a downstream speed of 6Gb/s in 5G when a vehicle is moving. The latency was only 1ms. So it is important to watch the Internet box promo of the operators offering 5G, but is it possible that it will replace the optical fiber ?

Will the Internet box promo offer 5G ?

With these announcements, we can think that 5G will invade the French market and that it will even supplant fiber optics to replace it in the very short term. All operators will propose a promotion Internet box as soon as this 5G will be available on all the hexagon, but what about in practice ?

How 5G could eventually replace fiber optics ?

In theory, 5G could largely surpass fiber optics, but the practice is much more complex, because the very high speed that 5G can reach, depends on the number of its users connecting simultaneously on the same antenna. It is also necessary to take into account the distance between the antenna and the user, but also the smartphone used, the equipment and the various interferences between the transmitter and the receiver. The final measured throughput may therefore be much lower than initially announced.

5G: replacement or complement of optical fiber ?

Because of all these parameters, 5G is therefore not close to replace the optical fiber to connect us to the Internet. It will just complement it. Thus, 5G will be very useful in places where wireless communication is required, such as between autonomous vehicles or between cars and traffic lights equipped with the system, for example.

Finally what is the interest of 5G ?

The main interest of 5G is based on the uses that were not possible until now with 4G, because the latency time is too important or the speeds are too low. So 5G is a very interesting new technology, because it will provide us with the same uses as optical fiber, but in mobility and not in sedentary life.

5G is a revolutionary technology that could even make surgeons think that they will be able to guide operations remotely by a robot equipped with very high speed, but it will not replace fiber optics, as it is simply its complement.