Existing handsets cannot be upgraded to 5G with a simple software download, the hardware required for a 5G phone is different from that used by current 4G phones. Users will be required to purchase a new 5G-enabled device outright or to take out a new contract that includes a 5G cellphone handset .
Read moreWhere has 5G been installed?
As of Jan. 2020, 5G had been deployed in 50 cities in the United States . Sprint has rolled out mobile 5G in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C. AT&T has made its mobile 5G+ network live for consumers in parts of 35 cities and 190 markets.
Read moreAre cell towers going to become obsolete?
We predict that by 2035 approximately 80% to 90% of urban rooftop cell sites will become obsolete .
Read moreDoes 5G need more towers than 4G?
5G, which stands for “fifth generation,” promises to raise Internet speeds by as much as a hundredfold over fourth-generation technology. 5G needs many more cellular antennas, called “small cells,” than 4G . That’s because it uses higher-frequency radio waves, which carry much more data but have shorter ranges.
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