5G is the successor to 4G, the current standard broadband connection. 5G is able to send more information faster and able to respond quickly to commands, at a rate we’ve never seen before.

So, with 5G you’ll be able to do all the things you can with 3G and 4G, like browse the web on your phone or share documents across your devices. But, with 5G, there will be transformational opportunities too.

Hyper-connectivity between machines, smart devices and people means we’ll start seeing intelligent new processes that have just not been possible (or conceivable) until now. In short, 5G is so much more than a step on from 4G. 5G is driving the digital revolution.

When people hear about 5G, it’s mostly about how fast it is. It’s not surprising this tends to make the headlines; 5G is expected to be able to reach speeds in excess of 1Gb/s and capable to reduce latency from 20ms to 40ms on 4G to less than 10ms.

And, in a few years, we could see speeds of 10Gb/s. That’s 100 times faster than 4G. Your average HD movie takes a day to download on 3G and around 10 minutes on 4G. With 5G, you could be watching your favourite film in as little as 5 seconds.

The speed of a wireless system like 5G depends on the amount of information that you can send over a unit of area, otherwise known as area-throughput. With 5G, advanced technology means information can be sent in a more efficient way and, by using higher frequencies, there is more available bandwidth for the information to be sent. These combined means a significantly faster network.

It’s understandable why people would think this – it is faster than 4G! – but that’s only part of the story.

You probably remember 3G ushering in video calls and mobile data, and 4G’s higher speeds has meant we now have mobile internet and can stream videos.

5G, however, is unlikely to be defined by any one thing. 5G has been referred to as “the network of networks,” bringing together multiple strands and applied in a myriad of ways in both business and the home.

IoT is really gathering momentum and showing what it can do for businesses of all sizes. 5G will accelerate this movement since it means IoT applications have the wherewithal to collect massive amounts of data using a really efficient, responsive, high-speed network.

This is where things like data collection and real-time analytics will come into their own. With 5G, IoT can really flex its muscle.

Overall, no – in fact, the two will probably co-exist for quite some time. You can expect to see 5G and Wi-Fi being used as a collaborative network that allows all devices to be connected all the time in a way that makes the most of the speed and low latency of 5G but also the reliability and robustness of Wi-Fi.

That said, we’re seeing some businesses starting to adopt private 5G networks. These networks connect only specified devices, and really suit manufacturing companies, just for example, where there are a large number of connected devices that need a network that can keep up. It also means really critical devices can be prioritised so that they stay operating even if the rest of the network is disrupted.

5G has already been available to try in parts of the country since last year. All networks have now enabled 5G in a number of town and cities across the country. Unified World can help to confirm which towns are covered by which network.