Understanding 5G UC: Meaning, Definition and Benefits

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, 5G UC, or 5th Generation Ultra Capacity (5G UC) has emerged as a competitive internet service for homes and businesses. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) predicts that 5G technology has the potential to transform telecommunication networks with benefits that will empower innovation and connect users to smart cities, remote healthcare, self-driving vehicles and more.

In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive guide on 5G UC meaning and how it compares to other types of internet service.

• Lower frequency waves are slower, but can travel farther.
• Higher frequency waves are much faster but can only travel a short distance.
• High frequency 5G can reach Gig speeds, much like ethernet cables and fiber optic networks. However, 5G can’t reach very far before the signal becomes weak or unreliable. 5g_

Because 5G frequencies send out millimeter wavelength (mmWave) radio waves, they are more prone to disruption from objects that interfere with the signal, such as walls and other barriers. 5G UC networks will require complex planning to optimize the required infrastructure so that as many regions as possible have access to reliable coverage.

To do this, 5G networks will use an assortment low-, mid- and high-band spectrum equipment:

• Macro towers will be strategically placed in each major network area.
• Small cells will repeat this signal so that more users have a stronger signal. Higher-density areas will need more small cells.
• Baseband Unit (BBU) Pools will use fiber optic cables to connect to remote radio units on the macro towers.
• The Core Network will continue to route data and connect all the various parts of the access network.

Typically, most 5G small cells aren’t able to transmit to a narrowly focused area. Instead, they broadcast waves to everything within a certain radius. However, 5G networks use a technique called “beamforming” that vertically and horizontally sends data signals toward a specific user or device, like a laptop or self-driving car, instead of outward in all directions. This helps reduce interference from other signals and improves the overall effectiveness and energy efficiency of 5G networks.

Beamforming also works with massive Multiple-Input Multiple Output (MIMO), a technology that uses multiple antennas to transmit and receive data simultaneously to improve network capacity and performance. MIMO uses algorithms to optimize which data should be given priority and focus.

1. It’s more weather-disaster-resistant. Fiber optic networks rely on a system of cables to keep homes and businesses connected. When bad storms occur and fiber lines get damaged, large numbers of users can experience outages until a physical, often expensive repair has been completed. However, since 5G uses radio waves, storm damage is rare — the only structures vulnerable to damage are macro towers and small cells. This can help benefit areas that are more prone to hurricanes, tornadoes and other types of storms.

2. It’s easier to install in rural or remote areas. 5G networks need macro towers and small cells to send and receive data signals. These structures are less expensive and fairly easy to build compared to installing fiber lines that keep rural areas connected to fiber optic networks. Plus, they deliver internet wirelessly to your home. This is also the reason why 5G internet may be an easy solution to help with reducing the digital divide.

3. It works better for mobile connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT). 5G is a wireless form of connectivity, so you don’t need to stay tethered to your home to access it. For example, a large factory, hospital or highway full of autonomous vehicles could benefit from 5G connectivity since the devices can move freely while staying connected. Since you don’t have to stay within the range of your Wi-Fi network or plugged into a router with an ethernet cable, your devices can move around freely.

Advantages of fiber optic internet over 5G UC

For most other purposes, fiber optic networks deliver unmatched speeds and reliability, and combined with Wi-Fi-6 technology, you can move around your home freely while still accessing Gig-speed uploads and downloads.

Which option is better for different scenarios?

If you have a central home base where your online activities take place and fiber service is available where you live, you’ll likely get a much better experience from fiber internet. You’ll enjoy faster upload and download speeds and a much more reliable connection to power all of your devices and online activities at once.

Plus, you can sign up for a hosted Wi-Fi service through your provider (like EPB Smart Net Plus) so you won’t be tethered to an ethernet cable. And if you live in a densely populated area with lots of buildings, walls and other physical obstructions, a fiber connection will have more reliability and less interference for you.

However, fiber optic internet is not available in some areas. If this is the case where you live, 5G UC service is an excellent option for your connectivity needs. Other cases where 5G might be preferable are if you’re frequently on the go, live in an area where catastrophic damage from natural disasters is commonplace or if you have a factory, plant or business that uses hundreds of connected smart devices.

Making the Right Choice Between Fiber Optic and 5G UC

As 5G UC infrastructure is implemented across the world, it will provide more widespread connectivity, even in rural areas, and help reduce the digital divide. If fiber optic internet service is not available where you live, 5G UC is an excellent option. However, if you do most of your online activities in a central home base, like your home or place of work, fiber internet is faster, much more reliable, and delivers a better online experience overall.

If you live in Chattanooga, Tennessee, EPB Fiber Optics provides the only true fiber-to-the-home internet in the area. With equal upload and download speeds up to 25 Gigs and no data caps, you’ll have plenty of bandwidth to power all your devices at once, with unmatched reliability. Learn more about the World’s Fastest Community-Wide Internet delivered with EPB’s 100% fiber optic network.