Before the end of the decade, wireless
companies are expected to start serving up 5G
technology, which promises speeds of up to 40
times faster than 4G.
With speeds that fast, you'll be able to do
incredible things on your smartphone. For
example, Nokia ( ) says 5G will let people
stream "8K" video in 3-D. That's an incredibly
detailed picture, which is twice as clear as 4K
video and 16 times clearer than full HD video.
A person with a 5G smartphone could download
a 3-D movie in about 6 seconds. On 4G, it
would take 6 minutes.
But with great speed comes great cost.
A typical standard-definition streaming video
that you watch on your phone uses up to 0.7 GB
of data per hour, according to Netflix. An hour of
1080p HD video uses up 3 GB. 3-D video uses
up 4.7 GB and 4K video uses 7 GB of data.
That's more than three times the average
monthly data plan, gone in a single hour.
So if you've got big dreams of having 3-D
FaceTime conversations on your 5G iPhone,
you'd better be prepared for a truly shocking
wireless bill.
As wireless speeds have increased over the
past decade, consumers' data usage has
soared. Today, 4G smartphones generate nearly
10 times more traffic than non-4G
devices, according to Cisco .
Cell phone bills have gotten bigger as a result.
In 2013, the average cell phone bill was $76 a
month, according to the Bureau of Labor
statistics. That's up 50% from the $51 a month
consumers were paying in 2007, the year that
the iPhone debuted.
By 2019, Cisco ( , Tech30) forecasts that
mobile data traffic to and from cell towers (not
offloaded to Wi-Fi) will grow by 57%. So if data
plans stay the same four years down the road,
the average user's smartphone bill could grow
by $43 a month to $119.
Wireless analysts expect cell phone costs to
come down somewhat to make 5G affordable.
But if you want 5G service to cost exactly the
same as your 4G plan, wireless companies
would have to reduce the price of each bit of
data to 1/1000 what it costs today, according to
a 5G cost analysispublished by the University of
Bridgeport .
Though that won't happen, it's worth noting that
all of the Big Four wireless companies have
lowered their data rates somewhat over the past
few years.
For example, Verizon cut most of its data plans
by $10 a month earlier this
year. AT&T ( , Tech30)slashed its 2 GB Mobile
Share Value plan by $15 to $65 a month last
year. T-Mobile and Sprint have also cut prices
recently.
Customers have to pay up for more data,
though. Verizon increased the price of its 10 GB
plan by $20 to $100 a month and T-Mobile
raised the price of its unlimited data plan by $10
a month last year.
5G could usher in a world of ultra-high definition
video on smartphones and a host of apps that
are unimaginable today. But you'll have to pay
more to take advantage of all that speed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MVZyr7-cj0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
companies are expected to start serving up 5G
technology, which promises speeds of up to 40
times faster than 4G.
With speeds that fast, you'll be able to do
incredible things on your smartphone. For
example, Nokia ( ) says 5G will let people
stream "8K" video in 3-D. That's an incredibly
detailed picture, which is twice as clear as 4K
video and 16 times clearer than full HD video.
A person with a 5G smartphone could download
a 3-D movie in about 6 seconds. On 4G, it
would take 6 minutes.
But with great speed comes great cost.
A typical standard-definition streaming video
that you watch on your phone uses up to 0.7 GB
of data per hour, according to Netflix. An hour of
1080p HD video uses up 3 GB. 3-D video uses
up 4.7 GB and 4K video uses 7 GB of data.
That's more than three times the average
monthly data plan, gone in a single hour.
So if you've got big dreams of having 3-D
FaceTime conversations on your 5G iPhone,
you'd better be prepared for a truly shocking
wireless bill.
As wireless speeds have increased over the
past decade, consumers' data usage has
soared. Today, 4G smartphones generate nearly
10 times more traffic than non-4G
devices, according to Cisco .
Cell phone bills have gotten bigger as a result.
In 2013, the average cell phone bill was $76 a
month, according to the Bureau of Labor
statistics. That's up 50% from the $51 a month
consumers were paying in 2007, the year that
the iPhone debuted.
By 2019, Cisco ( , Tech30) forecasts that
mobile data traffic to and from cell towers (not
offloaded to Wi-Fi) will grow by 57%. So if data
plans stay the same four years down the road,
the average user's smartphone bill could grow
by $43 a month to $119.
Wireless analysts expect cell phone costs to
come down somewhat to make 5G affordable.
But if you want 5G service to cost exactly the
same as your 4G plan, wireless companies
would have to reduce the price of each bit of
data to 1/1000 what it costs today, according to
a 5G cost analysispublished by the University of
Bridgeport .
Though that won't happen, it's worth noting that
all of the Big Four wireless companies have
lowered their data rates somewhat over the past
few years.
For example, Verizon cut most of its data plans
by $10 a month earlier this
year. AT&T ( , Tech30)slashed its 2 GB Mobile
Share Value plan by $15 to $65 a month last
year. T-Mobile and Sprint have also cut prices
recently.
Customers have to pay up for more data,
though. Verizon increased the price of its 10 GB
plan by $20 to $100 a month and T-Mobile
raised the price of its unlimited data plan by $10
a month last year.
5G could usher in a world of ultra-high definition
video on smartphones and a host of apps that
are unimaginable today. But you'll have to pay
more to take advantage of all that speed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MVZyr7-cj0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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