5G, which stands for fifth-generation mobile technology, is the talk of most towns in the developed world right now.  There is no doubt that when it finally launches to the global mass market it will transform the technological landscape. That bit is easy to comprehend. What is perhaps harder to understand, is that it really isn’t worth upgrading your cellphone to a 5G device any time soon.

Existing handsets cannot be upgraded to 5G with a simple software download, the hardware required for a 5G phone is different from that used by current 4G phones. Users will be required to purchase a new 5G-enabled device outright or to take out a new contract that includes a 5G cellphone handset.

Is It Worth Upgrading To A 5G Cellphone?

5G phones should have a longer battery life than current handsets and offer faster data speeds, but in the short term, unless the user is based in one of the few 5G testbeds that are running worldwide and their network supports it, the cellphone user will not be able to harness the benefits of 5G.

Despite all the hype surrounding 5G, it is only available in small pockets of cities where it is being tested around the world. The technology is most efficient in built-up areas, it may never reach rural areas of the globe at all because it just doesn’t make economic sense to deliver it there.

Plus, the current 4G phones are pretty speedy, so the higher speeds associated with 5G are unlikely to be noticeable when using existing streaming services.

5G technology is currently focused on improving business and manufacturing services and the devices associated with the Internet of Things, such as automated vehicles. Cellphones will eventually benefit from this enhanced technology, but only when it has spread its tentacles over the bulk of most of the countries that it is being introduced in and when 5G specific cellphone services, such as enhanced gaming, come to market. Stick with 4G until that time comes.