How 4G is still so relevant in society

All major Australian Carriers are currently rolling out 5G networks across Australia, with the main players offering 5G mobile phone plans with promises of faster download speeds and entertainment packages.

5G promises to deliver more capacity, faster speeds and less latency, meaning your cellular data will perform better in crowded, public spaces with multiple users attempting to utilise it. It will also mean that users will enjoy high-speed downloads and uploads for streaming and sharing on social media.

Telecommunications distributor Powertec Telecommunications is one company that is very excited to harness the capability of the 5G network. Powertec have been delivering powerful connectivity solutions to customers across Australia for the last 25 years. Their 5G connectivity solutions will include mobile phone coverage, IoT, M2M, routers and antennas.

What is 5G?

Powertec’s Product Manager, Paul Boyce, says 5G is the fifth generation of mobile network technology, following 2G, 3G and 4G.

“It has the potential to offer superfast connections and response times and more capacity than previous generations, and is designed to meet the needs of the large growth in demand for data and connectivity from our customers and businesses. It works in conjunction with existing mobile technologies like 4G.”

However, Boyce states that what is currently called 5G in Australia can be described as more like “4.5G”.

“4G coverage is much better and will remain so until they put 5G on the lower bands. 4G data speeds are getting up to 2 GBps with CAT22 devices, putting them in the real-world range of 5G speeds.

“It will be some time before we know what the carriers are planning to do with the spectrum and the type of 5G they end up using.

“5G is limited to defined areas of major cities at present and is actually referring to Sub-6 GHz and advanced LTE rather than 5G via mmWave, which is currently receiving international publicity. mmWave is where we will see the real benefits of what 5G can offer.”

Powertec’s 5G Ready Products

Powertec Telecommunications’ “5G ready” product range is comprehensive — ready to maximise customers’ connectivity needs.

Cel-Fi Series

Powertec’s most popular products are the Cel-Fi series — these units, manufactured by US company Nextivity, will support 5G in the future.

Antennas

Powertec has several cellular and IoT antenna brands as part of their portfolio, enabling a comprehensive offering of 5G ready antennas. Their brands include Poynting, MARS, GME, Blackhawk Antennas, Panorama and Pulse Larsen.

Modems and Routers

A notable brand in the Powertec portfolio, URSALINK is offering very exciting and unique industrial modem and router products with 5G capabilities. URSALINK have recently released a new 5G router which we will introduce into the Australian market. Cradlepoint were the first company to release a 5G router in conjunction with Telstra; Peplink are now offering a 5G hardware upgrade path for their 4G routers with swappable modules.

URSALINK sits alongside Cradlepoint, Peplink, Teltonika, Cellferno, Kerlink and Ericsson, plus Powertec’s own multi-network myinsight.io IoT connectivity module versions CM11 and CM22, in their Industrial Cellular IoT Routers and Gateways portfolio.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/New Africa