5G Network: understand what it is, how it works and the current scenario

Technology / Date: 06-07-2025

5G internet is the latest stop in the evolution of the internet for mobile devices. Although this terminology became more famous after the arrival of 3G, it actually already existed before with 1G (the first cell phones) and 2G (with the signals from devices becoming digital and no longer analog).

Before all this, there was 0G, that is, mobile communication via radio, pre-cellular. Returning to the fifth generation of telecommunications , the wait for it began in 2008, when NASA partnered with a private company to develop the technology.

Since then, several countries have started investing in research and infrastructure to be able to offer 5G technology.

Among them, South Korea, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel.

China has not been left behind, with electronics giant Huawei taking the lead in investment and research in recent years.

To put it another way, 5G, compared to 4G, uses a higher frequency band , which allows more devices to “coexist” using your data.

The speed is also considerably higher – we will see an example below.

However, its range is smaller , since the electromagnetic waves used are known as millimeter waves.

This is one of the reasons for the need to install specific antennas , which makes the implementation of the technology more expensive.

However, with this greater presence, coverage also tends to be broader.

How many times have you been in a place with a large crowd of people and your mobile internet simply wouldn't work?

With 5G, these occurrences should decrease.

Therefore, in addition to the higher speed as a positive point, the 5G connection also works in more places .

By using the cloud much more , the presence of transmission cables also decreases significantly.

And all of this brings incredible results.

Processes are faster , as is communication and the operation of intelligent machines.

How does 5G work?

After understanding what 5G technology is, let's move on to how it works.

Like previous generations of mobile networks, 5G technology works through radio waves, but the main difference is that it has a much larger coverage spectrum than its predecessors.

Using the highest frequency bands of telephony to operate, 5G can spread between 600 MHz and 700 MHz and between 26GHz and 42GHz.

Despite having greater capacity than 3G, 4G and 4.5G technologies, 5G's wavelength is shorter , which means it can be more easily blocked by physical barriers.

The solutions to avoid this problem have been the following:

Develop antennas that are lower and closer to the ground to try to avoid these objects and ensure wider coverage, making the signal reach a greater number of transmitters and receivers.
Attach 5G network antennas to existing antennas and thus adapt their operations to a parallel technology model with support for the new connection infrastructure
Install smaller, low-range antennas to repeat signals from local devices and direct them to a central station, as well as place replicator antennas in larger areas to cover a perimeter of up to 250 meters
Use the intelligence mechanism of 5G antennas to focus the radio signal, instead of emitting its waves in different directions.

What is 5G for?

It was developed to provide much faster connection speeds and greater data traffic capacity with lower latency (response time).

These improvements make 5G a unique technology for enabling the next generation of services and applications , such as the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous cars, augmented and virtual reality, and telemedicine, among others.

5G operates on higher frequencies of the radio spectrum, such as the millimeter wave bands, which have more bandwidth available.

This allows more devices to connect to the network simultaneously, with higher transmission speeds and lower latency .

In addition, it uses “beamforming” technology, which intelligently directs the signal to the devices, increasing efficiency and coverage.

What is the impact of 5G internet on business?

Now, imagine all this speed at the service of business .

The speed with which information reaches its recipients and the amount of data that can be processed with alignment with Big Data .

Connection stability and access to cloud content are facilitated.

Video calls without freezing or any type of delay will be a reality.
Furthermore, with greater coverage, more and more devices will be able to be connected to the internet, which means an expansion in the use of IoT.
In practice, companies can now control their devices remotely and in a much easier and more intelligent way.
It is possible, for example, to generate reports, inform about bottlenecks and systemic failures in real time.
Anticipating problems and activating IT support quickly also allows damage to be minimized , after all, there is almost no downtime until the solution arrives.

Other methods that tend to be enhanced are machine learning and artificial intelligence .

With the speed of the connection, it will be much faster to find patterns and identify the most diverse types of systemic problems.