What is 5G and Will Tracfone get 5G?

What 5G Means and When Is It Coming to Tracfone

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What is 5G and When Will Tracfone Get 5G?

5G is starting to show up everywhere. From major cell phone network service providers advertising it, to smartphone manufacturers releasing phones with it, to a variety of rumors and conspiracy theories about it. But few people actually understand what 5G means.

We are sharing the facts about 5G, and also some history of mobile phone technology, as well as whether you need to upgrade your phone soon or not.

Let's get started.

What is 5G?

The simple answer is:

5G = 5th Generation

5G is the next generation of wireless technology becoming available. It brings faster speeds, and a number of technological improvements over previous generations. In the same way that 4G slowly replaced 3G and brought a number of advancements, now we see that potential with 5G.

The easiest way to understand 5G and how it may improve our mobile network, is to look at a brief history of previous generations of mobile technology, starting with 1G.

The History of 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G Mobile Technology

One of the First Cell Phones

It all started in Japan in 1979 when the first generation of mobile technology was launched by NTT in Tokyo. The US approved 1G operations in 1983 and the mobile phone was launched in America with the Motorola DynaTAC one of the first devices that saw widespread use despite the high price tag and limited ability.

2G emerged in 1991 in Finland and allowed for significantly clearer calls. But the 2nd generation technology brought so much more in the form of text and picture messaging which users, particularly the younger generation, adopted at an incredibly rapid pace. This truly started the mobile phone revolution, and it continued to grow rapidly worldwide.

Then came 3G in 2001. It was launched initially in Japan and offered standardized 'data packets' which made it possible for users to access data from anywhere in the world because of the standardization. In 2007 the iPhone was launched, and a year later, the iPhone 3G, which made use of many of the capabilities for 3G networks including video streaming, video conferencing, GPS and more.

iPhone 3G

4th Generation was first deployed in Sweden in 2009 as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Standard and then to the world as it brought faster speeds, and especially high-quality streaming capability. It wasn't until closer to 2013 that America started seeing the potential as apps like Uber utilized the capabilities of 4G LTE. Today 4G LTE is still somewhat limited worldwide, but in the US and other developed nations, speeds continue to increase as telecommunication companies keep upgrading.

Now we see 5G starting to emerge in 2020 and it offers three main benefits: faster speeds, lower latency and the ability to connect more devices at one time.

5G utilizes low, medium and high frequency radio bands with different benefits for each. Currently, there is little coverage anywhere in the US for 5G (despite all the main service providers claiming otherwise) and it will likely take several years before it becomes widely available.

5G is still in early development and even as it is added across America, 4G LTE will continue to be the primary technology for the next several years at least. Only in the last two or three years have we seen implementation of widespread access to 4G LTE in America, and it is likely to take 5G several years to be implemented, and even then, 4G LTE will still be used extensively.

Each generation of mobile technology has taken about 10 years to develop, so we can probably expect to see 6G sometime in 2030.

Is 5G Safe?

Yes, 5G is safe.

There has been some concern, and a lot of misinformation, about 5G recently. But it is clearly misplaced.

As we saw from the history of mobile technology above, 5G is simply the next generation. And while it innovates in some areas, it largely uses the same basic technology of radio waves that we have been using for years and years.

For more in-depth information, take a look at this article by PhoneScoop.

When Will Tracfone Get 5G and Do You Need a 5G Phone?

*Update*

Tracfone now offers 5G network coverage at no additional cost! Coverage is still limited, but you can see our post on 5G Coverage Maps and Compatible Phones to learn more!

Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have moved quickly to start building out their 5G networks across the US with limited coverage available in many major cities. Tracfone is able to use their 5G networks in the same way they use their 4G LTE networks, and provide Tracfone subscribers with 5G service. You will need to be in one of these 5G areas to get service, and have a 5G compatible device.

It will still likely take several years before 5G coverage is accessible for most American's, and for 5G speeds to reach their intended download and upload rates.

We hope this information helps explain what 5G means, and leave a comment below with any thoughts or questions.

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