The long-awaited 5G network is already here and is going to be made available for most people from 2020. Mobile app Developers can rejoice in the limitless possibilities the 5G network is about to offer.
The buzz around 5G technology is continuing to get louder with every passing day. There are many perceptions about 5G that needs to be explained before going deeper into the impact of the technology. First of all, 5G is only about networking speed that can drastically reduce the latency and boost loading speed more than ever before. But it is not going to be an out of the box solution for all performance issues and roadblocks that mobile app developers face every now and then.
The fact that by the next year 5G technology is about to hit almost all parts of the globe, mobile app developers have no option but to get ready for the impact this technology is going to impart on their development practices and output. 5G is expected to offer three times faster data speed compared to the present 4G/ LTE technology.
This huge boost in speed and performance is likely to offer a positive change in the vast majority of mobile apps across the niches. From IoT apps to the enterprise and e-commerce apps to all apps depending heavily on real-time or instant data transfer, for every app niche, 5G is going to be the most promising technology in years. From streaming high definition media without any network constraint to the transmission of real-time events without any data buffering, 5G will transform the way we consume mobile content.
Let’s first explain the speed and performance attributes of 5G technology, followed by the specific aspects of the impact of the 5G network on mobile app development.
What Kind of Speed 5G is Going to Offer?
The actual speed of 5G technology in the real world will depend a lot on the available infrastructure. In that respect, the testing output of 5G has been really impressive for most users. Let’s have a recap of the key speed benchmarks of the networking technologies that arrived consecutively in all these years.
- 3G networking technology was capable of delivering a maximum speed of 2Mbps.
- 4G network on an average gives 20 Mbps speed globally, though, in Norway and Iceland, this speed is 65Mbps.
- 5G network speed can reach a speed of 10 to 50Gbps or higher.
- In the test, 5G has achieved one terabit per second data speed, which is nearly 65,000 times speedier than 4G. But when tested for real-world and realistic scenarios, it delivered an unflinching speed of 2.8Gbps, as an experiment by EE Network of UK in a lab shown.
It is not just about speed
For most people, including both the developers and the consumers 5G network is about lightning speed. Without any loading time and buffering to access high definition mobile content and real-time transmission of live events with superior audiovisual quality, these are the main benefits that we can think of 5G networks. But apart from this speed boost, 5G can also give developers to distinct advantages.
Zero Latency
For all the maneuvers and applications that could not find the 4G network appropriate for their demand of zero latency, now can enjoy the superior real-time zero-latency rendering of 5G technology. For allowing virtual reality applications across several contexts and use scenarios to the connected autonomous cars and remote surgery of patients, 5G, by reducing latency, can revolutionize the rendering of many applications.
The enhanced density of connection
This is something crucial for media transmission of events over the internet. Whenever you venture to use mobile internet for transmission of public events, you require good connection density that the 4G network is incapable of providing. As for the 4G network, the optimum capacity is just 2000 devices per .38 square mile of area. On the other hand, 5G is capable of supporting 1 million mobile devices in the same area. This is particularly going to be good news for IoT (Internet of Things) app developers.
The Key Ways 5G is Going to Impact Mobile App Development
As of now, we have explained the key advantages of 5G networking technology for mobile apps across all niches. Now, we need to explain the key positive ways it can help developers and boost efficiency and productivity.
Faster File Transfer
There are too many apps that rely heavily on the transfer of files, documents, money, data, or media content of all types. 5G capable of leveraging electromagnetic waves instead of radio waves can make instant or real-time file transfer possible without the slightest delay.
Rich Media Transmission
The clarity and transparency of the user interface with the fluid transmission of rich media content is a crucial benefit of the 5G network for mobile apps in the future. 5G will help developers and designers to create a more fluid and engaging user interface.
More Scalability
Thanks to the lighting speed of data and near-zero latency, developers will have more ease and flexibility to use a lot of additional features. With the scalable scope of using functions and UI elements, developers can deliver a more powerful user experience.
Navigational App Development
Real-time navigation help has been a subject of demand for many mobile users, and most apps offering navigation help suffer from latency and speed issues. This is where the high speed, zero-latency 5G network will come to rescue.
Minimum Hardware Dependency
By facilitating lightning-fast communication and data transfer among devices, platforms, and apps, 5G will make users least dependent on the device processing power, storage capacity, and random memory. With 5G technology, the end-user experience will be less constrained by hardware limitations.
Conclusion
5G network with so many promises is definitely going to shape the digital experience of the future. This is the high time for the mobile app developers across all niches to be ready to capitalize on the 5G advantages for competitive gain.