[OPINION] 5G Internet Connections Is Far-Fetched in Australia

LBoredSnoozer on 09/12/2022 - 00:09

Here is my take on Australian cell-based networks.

4G is a revolutionary technology. It can theoretically hit up to insane speeds (300mbps).

Wait, wait, wait. Hold it right there, what are we actually experiencing, after a decade of 4G LTE in Australia?

At home, internet speeds rarely hit the 5 mbps mark, rather it hangs around at <1mbps. In 2022, the connection is mediocre and so crippled that watching a YouTube video is physically impossible, because of the speed. Is this what I expect from a long-term evolution of mobile technology?

Before 4G was even completely rolled out to the point where people can experience those insane speeds, telcos are taking on 5G, which till this day has not come to my area. They thought of making this concept when they haven't even achieved a reliable 4G connection. Now, both ends can't be met because both technologies have not been developed enough for everybody to experience a reliable internet connection.

5G is absolutely absurd. They haven't even finished the chapter of 4G and wants to create a new one.

To maintain something closer to these theoretical speeds, cell towers need to be evenly distributed in an area so everybody can enjoy it. Unless if you are standing right under a cell tower today you can't even have a mere 50 megabits per second speed. Let alone 5G, which has a far shorter transmission range than 4G. Seriously, they don't even have the budget to invest in 5G cell towers, so why can't they spend it all on 4G for goodness sake so we can finally enjoy a reliable internet connection on the couch?

Hey OzBargainers, what is your side on this? Do you agree with my comments or disagree? Leave them down in the comments.

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    I agree with the comments
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Comments

  • Hybroid on 09/12/2022 - 00:25
    +2

    Not sure if this is a troll post from new user but will humour you… 4G real world max speed is 100 Mbps (300 is in lab conditions) which is sufficient for vast majority of people, however, the main benefit for 5G network is capacity.

    As we have more and more connected devices, consume more and more high bandwidth content, want higher resolution videos and lower latency in games/apps etc, the demand grows beyond 4G's capacity. 5G's wavelength will increase that capacity with higher speeds being only one benefit of many.

    The rest of your comments are anecdotal and/or inaccurate so not worth responding to. You can easily look up plethora of resources outlining 5G benefits online.

    • ShannonN on 09/12/2022 - 00:50

      interesting I am on Optus 4g home BB through a B818 modem router in peak time its shit but 2 am I can hit 180 to 204 Mbps so cant see the 100 limit.

      • Hybroid on 09/12/2022 - 00:56
        +1

        Not sure how you managed that since Optus 4G Home is capped at 25 Mbps.

        https://www.optus.com.au/broadband-nbn/4g-home-internet/huaw…

        • ShannonN on 09/12/2022 - 01:03
          +1

          Just for you just did a test now here's the results

          https://testmy.net/db/n-7Bj~_CH

        • ShannonN on 09/12/2022 - 01:11

          also I'm on the 4G Internet Everyday 500GB maybe different from the home plan dunno dont care the proof is in the link better than 100 and certainly not capped at 25

        • ShannonN on 09/12/2022 - 01:15

          https://testmy.net/W8lfWOjdv.png
          Just keeps getting better

          • Hybroid on 09/12/2022 - 01:17
            -2

            @ShannonN: Alright, take it easy. Wasn't doubting you, Optus says it's 25 Mbit so something's unique or different on your end but that's not the norm for sure. You may just be very lucky in proximity to a tower or not have a cap on your account for some reason or something else influencing your connection. More power to you!

            • ShannonN on 09/12/2022 - 01:26

              @Hybroid: Maybe as I've had this type of connection for 4 yrs I may have avoided the recent cap ?

            • dasher86 on 09/12/2022 - 08:25

              @Hybroid: the new plans seemed capped.
              The older ones had no limit.

              You can also put in a normal sim in the B818.

              The way you achieve higher speeds is by carrier aggregation, and 4g modems these days are great.

              they hit i think it was 1gpbs in lab testing the netgear nighthawk m2 a few years ago.

        • BoredSnoozer on 10/12/2022 - 14:54

          Optus caps the new plans, not the legacy ones. Though you have to pay around $100 if your contract has expired.

      • payless69 on 09/12/2022 - 08:07

        Data compression, a very OLD trick!

      • BoredSnoozer on 10/12/2022 - 14:53

        Do you live underneath a cell tower?

  • hikaru78 on 09/12/2022 - 00:36

    arent the towers designed to give us covid?

  • stirlo on 09/12/2022 - 01:28
    +4

    You're not wrong but your reasoning is off.

    5G is essential as it has greater capacity per cell by more efficiently sharing the limited bandwidth each cell has. 5G range depends on the frequency used and for Australian 5G they use the similar frequencies as 4G so range is similar. In the USA they have a special mmWave version with very short range but this version is not in Australia yet.

    You are correct there's no revolutionary benefit available from 5G speeds and 4G at 100-300Mbps is perfectly fine for even the heaviest users. The issue is the 300Mbps is shared amongst all users of each cell. 300Mbps is not fast enough when hundreds of devices are sharing it.

    5G helps this by having a multi-gigabit capacity for each cell everyone connected shares this faster speed resulting in individual speeds being higher.

    Adding more cells for 4G could improve speeds but when adding a new cell it makes more sense to just make it a 5G one seeing as the technology is already available and the cost of the tower and land is far higher than the price of 4G vs 5G equipment. As 4G uses bandwidth less efficiently theres no way to speed it up without adding more cells while by moving across to 5G they can get higher capacity from the same cell and improve speeds with minimal extra cost compared to making a new cell.

    The real 5G scam is having to pay extra for 5G plans and phones. 5G helps carriers avoid having to pay to upgrade their networks with new 4G towers to ensure people get usable speeds so customers shouldn't have to pay more for investments the carriers would be making anyway

  • payless69 on 09/12/2022 - 08:06
    -1

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    somebody had a bad sleep etc to make a troll:

    Yes since I have 5G I can see my bones on the wall because the radiation is so strong!

  • AndyC1 on 09/12/2022 - 08:16

    Sounds like OP is in a mobile black spot or the tower has issues with the bands being used or the modem being used is crap. Seen all of these and apart from the back spot, which you can see by using one of the mobile tower apps on your phone to see the expected coverage in your area can be resolved by updating or using a good modem that you can configure.

    Sounds more like a rant or troll post.

  • avoidfullprice on 09/12/2022 - 08:20

    5G comes in different flavours.

    The higher frequency flavour needs closer cell towers due to higher propagation loss. But this frequency offers the higher network speed and lower ping, which is essential for some application (not just for gaming or streaming netflix)

    Lower frequency flavour offers similar network speed but like above said, the 5G protocol allows improved multi user capacity over 4G. 4G can’t be changed to allow that.

    You’re entitled to your opinion about 5G, but please read up on facts on what you dislike 5G about. You will find you are missing the real world benefits that 5G bring which cant be delivered by 4G

  • Darude Sandstorm on 09/12/2022 - 08:38
    -1

    Yes, lets roll out 4G everywhere instead of deciding that it'd be better to roll out 5G in areas where there is no 4G.
    Lets invest money in dated old tech.

  • ForkSnorter on 09/12/2022 - 10:00

    I mostly agree, my 4G phones are more than fast enough wherever I go. Can't see any advantage at all of a 5G phone yet.

    But I disagree where you say "In 2022, the connection is mediocre and so crippled that watching a YouTube video is physically impossible, because of the speed."
    I regularly watch 4K videos on YouTube, which load instantly.

  • ForkSnorter on 09/12/2022 - 10:02

    Should watch this. I don't think 5G limitations only affect Australia.
    https://youtu.be/SRz6Kc_aqEg

  • GordonD on 09/12/2022 - 10:06

    The only reason 5G costs more in Australia than 4G is that Washington's friends in this country ran a successful hate campaign against China, Huawei got caught up in it, and our carriers couldn't buy and use their equipment that was 30% cheaper than what America wanted us to buy. They weren't the leader in networking technology, but theirs was was cheapest, but we can't buy it. They were the leader in data modems, and now they can't make better still ones because the US has cut them off from the latest chip design equipment which is designed in the US, and built in the Netherlands, which has chosen to lose billions in Chinese dales to appease Washington.

    Americans are great innovators and entrepreneurs, but they're a real pain in the you know what we they can run the world to suit themselves, and countries run by weak-willed politicians, like Australia, let them. They have neither a right to, nor the wisdom to do it well.

    • Techie4066 on 09/12/2022 - 19:53

      Seriously. How can you deny the potential security risks when China was using Huawei equipment to spy on the African Union, and there have been numerous examples of sensitive data being routed through Chinese servers.

  • pokgai on 09/12/2022 - 10:40

    TLDR

    https://imgur.com/a/k9fRv8N

  • KaTst3R on 09/12/2022 - 11:07

    Seriously, they don't even have the budget to…

    If you increase your budget to live closer to the CBD you wont have this issue.

  • Techie4066 on 09/12/2022 - 19:50

    Let alone 5G, which has a far shorter transmission range than 4G

    mmwave is not the 5G we predominantly use in Aus. Also reallocating 3G bands in a couple years will boost Telstra 4G hopefully. All in all, learn about frequency bands.

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