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5G Hype Simply Didn’t Deliver
from the stop-overhyping-everything dept
We’ve noted for several years how the “race to 5G” was largely just hype by telecoms and hardware vendors eager to sell more gear and justify high U.S. mobile data prices. While 5G does provide faster, more resilient, and lower latency networks, it’s more of an evolution than a revolution.
But that’s not what telecom giants like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T promised. Both routinely promised that 5G would change the way we live and work, usher forth the smart cities of tomorrow, and even revolutionize the way we treat cancer. None of those things wound up being true.
Two big claims by the wireless industry was that 5G was going to revolutionize self-driving vehicle automation and be a key player in the “metaverse” (Facebook’s idiotic term for all future interactive online technologies that involve virtual spaces). But again, that didn’t happen either:
Specifically, metaverse proponent Meta (formerly Facebook) lost more than $700 billion in value during 2022, with shares tumbling further this week on news that CEO Mark Zuckerberg will continue investing in metaverse services into 2023. Separately, Tesla, Ford and General Motors have all notched notable setbacks in their pursuit of autonomous cars, a concept that has received an estimated $100 billion in research and development so far. One autonomous driving pioneer recently bemoaned the fact that the technology “has delivered so little.”
Of course, the Zuckerverse and full self driving falling on their faces weren’t 5G’s fault. But again, 5G was supposed to be a driving force for these evolutions, yet simply didn’t deliver on any of the promises we were subjected to over the last half a decade. It didn’t even fully deliver (yet) on its most basic of promises: affordable next-generation connectivity.
US 5G performance was significantly worse than most overseas deployments due to a dearth of middle-band spectrum. Less talked about (because it’s a preferred outcome for the industry and the policymakers who love them) is the fact U.S. wireless data prices continue to be some of the highest in the developed world, something that only tends to increase with market consolidation.
Getting excited about innovative new technologies is one thing, but the massive chasm that continues to grow between marketing hype and reality in America is something else altogether. Unrealistic claims may drive stock valuations and Elon Musk’s ego on Twitter, but it eventually puts a bad taste in the mouth of actual consumers, and in 5G’s case associated the wireless standard with hype and bluster.
Comments on “5G Hype Simply Didn’t Deliver”
Maybe, depending on your device, geographic location, and provider. I’ve found more than once I’ve had to tell my 5G phone to preference LTE to get a reliable connection in certain areas. Further, when available, public WiFi (with all the risks that entails) is still significantly more reliable and faster in almost all but the most congested networks (such as hotels).
The real reason
The real reason telcom companies were so hyped for 5G is that they do not want to invest a single penny into expanding (or even maintaining) their wired broadband infrastructure. The ultimate goal is forcing everyone onto expensive, metered, wireless for all their internet connections which, due to FCC licensing and limited available frequencies, is a virtual monopoly that they alone control.
NEW and IMPROVED 6G Hype -- IT WILL DELIVER !!
The new and improved 6G Hype! Coming soon! It will bring you new and wonderful things! It will cure baldness and impotence!
You can sign up early with an early bird deposit to get 6G as soon as we can figure out what it is and build it! Hurry! 6G capacity will be very limited. You will want to get yours reserved early. You can also get a new 6G compatible phone that might be compatible with whatever 6G will eventually be.
Re: 'Introducing 6G: Definitely not 5G but even more expensive.'
The sad thing is I have no doubt that the same ‘news’ outlets that were cheering on 5G and repeating verbatim the PR statements about it the companies were handing out will be all over doing the exact same thing when those same companies start pushing ‘6G’ and how it will solve cancer and give everyone a puppy.
Re:
And if 6G doesn’t fix everything, 7G will.
“But that’s not what telecom giants like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T promised. Both routinely promised that 5G would…”
Surely the second sentence should begin with “All” or the names of the two perpetrators should be inserted after “Both”.
Re:
Give it some time and I’m sure “both” will be accurate.
Re:
Nah, Karl was referring to other countries’ 5G purveyors as well, so naming the American companies as being a part of the global class of buffoons, it was correct to use neither ‘All’ or ‘Both’.
I seem to remember hype delivering back in the ’80s and into the ’90s, but not so much since then. That’s what happens when things get “mature.” Old dogs and new tricks, you know…
Wait a few years we,ll be hearing about 6g
, the best example of the metaverse so far is fortnite, with players buying as characters from many different fictional settings, eg marvel, characters from movies, also virtual concerts and live events .
people already have zoom or skype why would they want to use vr headsets to have online meetings.
the problem is new tech is usually hyped up but in real life its may be easy to use or comfortable for the average user or its too expensive .
most people dont want to spend hours wearing
vr headsets or else experience nausea from playing games.
meanwhile theres loads of high quality games avaidable on consoles and pc.
just because something is technically possible does not mean people will use it.
the usa mobile market suffers from lack of competition and regulators who are reluctanct to
oppose mergers even if it reduces competition
its been shown real self driving is a very complex problem which we simply do not have the tech to
solve for years to come
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(Typo “may not be easy“?)
Hyped-up, certainly – echos of 3D TV, which was also supposed to be what all the cool kids would be using in the future …
Re: VR use case...
Before 5G or 6G becomes important, you need a killer use case for the end users…one not covered by my local Wifi router, and not “we can charge for it”.
I don’t think immersive VR is going to do it, the problem being that the walls and furniture of the real room I am in tend to intrude unpleasantly on the virtual world if I move my body much.
I do see applications of VR using a google glass like display for support purposes — like finding something (the local visitor’s center and bathrooms weren’t at all visually obvious) or customer technical support — setting sight on machine internals and pointing out parts, with the expert far from the machine.
i could easily be wrong and i’m sure ther’ll be plenty who want to correct my thinking but i dont think the problem is with 5G it is, in my opinion, the familiar problem of companies not living up to promises, not WANTING to live up to promises, wanting all available subsidies (before the more deserving companies get them), wanting to charge exhorbitant fees and not giving a toss about the service the customers actually get!!
Pretty sure that autonomous vehicles depending on networks is a bad idea.
Come to think of it, forget the whole “depending on networks” part.
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If a safety-critical system has a single point of failure, then the designer did something wrong.
Hype the right places
If you have 5G, are close to the tower, and are not overpopulated…
It’s revolutionary.
For most of the country, it’s more of the same.
And for some, it’s a step back.
5G does what the hype says if the infrastructure is there.
I get 500mbps and above in the right spots. And probably average in the low 100s.
But drive a bit further and I get sub 10mbps.
Don’t fault the hype. It’s absolutely accurate. Fault the distribution of the supporting infrastructure.
The public fights towers. Be it bad health crap or harm to property value.
The airlines fight the towers. Over 25% of the country is in “concern” proximity to an air field of some sort. Because it’s not just airplanes at airports, but helicopters. Every hospital, government buildings, police dpts, etc.
the environmentalists fight towers because somehow more places for birds to hang out is bad.
The list of those that right the needed infrastructure is very long.
If you build it they will come. It’s true. But you need to build it first!
Re: That's neat.
So because half of America in populated metro areas have 5G, and the other half doesn’t, the other half needs to shut up, enjoy their offered pablum, and be glad they have anything at all.
That’s kind of thinking that Google employed when promoting and releasing Stadia. And that went over like a lead balloon over the ocean. Hopefully the lessons from 5G isn’t lost on 6G in two key areas: NOT using a foundational infrastructure network to test unproven radio tech, and reign in marketing types from promising nationwide rainbows, unicorns and AK-47s while glossing over the asterisk pointing to “where available.”
I have faith in the radio part coming true at least.