5th generation wireless (5G) is the latest advancement in cellular technology. It was engineered to vastly increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. With 5G LTE, data transmitted over wireless connections can travel at multigigabit speeds as high as 20 Gbps. Multi-gigabit (multi-gig) Internet is a network connection with speeds greater than 1 Gbps. Multi-gig Internet connections used to be very rare but are becoming more widely available in many areas.

That means quicker downloads, much lower lag and a significant impact on how we live, work and play. 5G speed and other connectivity benefits are expected to make businesses more efficient and give consumers access to more information faster than ever before. Connected cars, smart stadiums and advanced gaming - they all will rely on 5G networks.

As the next generation of wireless technology, 5G internet differs significantly from previous generations. While earlier networks were designed to connect people to people and the internet, 5G technology is expanding the range of entities that communicate even more widely. It connects things with people, the internet and other things.

• First generation - 1G: 1980s: 1G delivered analogue voice and could only be used for voice calls.

• Second generation - 2G: Early 1990s: 2G introduced digital voice but we still use many fundamental services today such as SMS, MMS, international roaming, call hold, billing, conference calls and long distance calls.
• Third generation - 3G: Early 2000s: 3G brought mobile data and is used in many more applications like the sharing of digital photos, movies and high-quality voice and video calls.
• Fourth generation: 4G: 2010s: 4G lead the way in the era of mobile broadband, supporting speeds up to 100Mbps and high-quality streaming capabilities.

1G, 2G, 3G and 4G all led to 5G, which is designed to provide more connectivity than was ever available before.

With its high speeds, superior reliability and negligible latency, 5G will expand the mobile ecosystem into new realms.

Higher Speed

One of the major pros of 5G technology is its ability to work faster on cellular and other devices. Unlike its predecessors - 2G, 3G, 4G, and 4G LTE, where downloading movies, videos and music and streaming services would have taken hours, with 5G technology these tasks become much easier with downloading taking only a few seconds. Moreover, one sector where the 5G technology will add value is the global booming gaming industry, according to experts. For the gamer, this means super-fast downloads and uploads, glitch-free multiplayer video games, live streaming and real-time gaming.

Lower Latency

Compared to earlier technologies, 5G technology has an incredibly low latency which makes it easier to support other new-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, and virtual reality, which is another major advantage of 5G technology. Furthermore browsing is made easier and this improves the user experience. 

Improved Bandwidth

With increased bandwidth, 5G technology provides seamless transfer of data, which boosts the connectivity amongst devices and the overall user experience. Moreover, the technology provides users with a seamless transition of services between cellular devices and wireless wi-fi, thus improving performance.

Less Tower Congestion & Increased Capacity

Often 4G cellular networks get congested which results in various problems while we try and access important data.

5G networks on the other hand will allow users to avoid such problems due to improved speed and more bandwidth. 5G uncapped has the ability to deliver up to 100 times more capacity than 4G which means users will be able to access the internet with greater efficiency.

With 5G technology, data transmitted over wireless broadband connections can travel at multigigabit speeds with potential peak speeds as high as 20Gbps. 5G is designed to reach speeds of up to 10 times faster than 4G and works best at average speeds of 150-200Mbps. By comparison, 4G works at average speeds of 23-35Mbps.

For example, a full HD film could be downloaded in less than 3 minutes on a 5G network, as opposed to around 15 on a 4G network. Now that's fast!

The average consumer uses close to 11 GB of data per month on their smartphone. This is driven by explosive growth in video traffic as mobile is increasingly becoming the source of media and entertainment, as well as the massive growth in always-connected cloud computing and experiences.
 
4G completely changed how we consume information. In the past decade we have witnessed rapid changes in the mobile app industry around services such as video streaming, ride sharing, food delivery and more.

5G will expand the mobile ecosystem to new industries. This will contribute to cutting-edge user experiences such as boundless extreme reality (XR), seamless IoT capabilities, new enterprise applications, local interactive content and instant cloud access, to name a few.
 
5G will also support new services for South African consumers, like online augmented and virtual reality gaming and UHD streaming.

Here at DSL Telecom we believe in connecting our customers with the best suited internet connection that will satisfy their daily internet connectivity needs. Whether you're streaming movies on Netflix, jamming out to the latest songs on Spotify, working from home, playing your favourite online game on your Xbox or streaming YouTube videos, your internet speed definitely matters and having a reliable internet connection is key to strong and consistent internet speeds. DSL Telecom is the largest Vox business partner in SA and the largest post-paid Telkom dealer in the country, which means we can provide you with faster, better internet at a fair price. 

Fibre installation lead times have gone from fast to superfast and is becoming the new normal for residential areas and is essential for smarter living. The COVID-19 pandemic opened South Africa's eyes in terms of expanding the connectivity landscape, emphasizing the fact that the speed and capacity of broadband are essential to supporting the home workforce as well as satisfying the growing demand for safer and smarter homes.

These days, it goes without saying, that modern South African businesses need a reliable business fibre internet connection to thrive - it’s no longer an option. A limited or slow internet connection is one of the most time consuming problems a business can struggle with, affecting everything from the communication between you and your customers to the work efficiency of your team.

A fast and reliable internet connection not only assists business functionality, but ensures you are able to meet customer expectations and deadlines.

When it comes to choosing a business fibre service provider, the market-leading Vox Fibre infrastructure is hands-down a firm South African favourite, promising high-speed bandwidth and capacity at prices that are fair. 

That being said, it's sometimes confusing to business owners to understand why the estimated fibre installation lead time can vary based on the location of their building (Off-Net Building,  On-Net Building or Preferred & Connected Building), as well as many other external factors which are outside the control of Vox or the Network Operators. 

These factors include, but are not limited to:

Lets' go through the meaning of each building category and their respective fibre installation lead times:

• Off-Net Buildings  - Where fibre does not yet exist in the area.

In this instance, the FNO (Fibre Network Owner) needs to build the necessary fibre infrastructure in the area and then install a POP (point of presence) in the building. Once this has been done, the fibre cable needs to be pulled from the street into the building. Expect installations at Off-Net Buildings to take between 6-9 months.

*On-Net Buildings - Where fibre already exists in the area.

In this case, the Fibre Network Owner needs to pull the fibre cable from the street into the building.

The installation lead time for On-Net Buildings is 4-6 months.

*Preferred & Connected Buildings - Where fibre also already exists in the building.

In this example, since fibre infrastructure already exists inside the building, the installation lead time is 4-8 weeks.