Broadband Internet vs. 5G: Facts And Figures

America is a beautiful country. You will be amazed at the sight of its diversity, be it in the department of transportation or the culture of arts. In the same manner, you will also notice how immensely advanced the country is, technologically as well as culturally. If you are an American, you are privileged to have seen such diversity. You can also understand, quite closely, the needs and pace with which the time fly’s. Given that, every citizen or immigrant realizes the efforts they have to put in, in treading along the contemporary time and space. For example, internet may not be one of the basic needs of people living in Ethiopia, but it certainly has become a necessity for people living in America. The reasons are simple. The Internet now controls every step or decision a person makes. The faster the internet, the better it is.

If you need to book Uber to get to the office, the internet is going to make it possible by connecting you with a driver. The Uber will come right to your location and drop you off exactly where you wanted to be dropped off. This is how advanced things have gotten. Speaking of internet itself, there are multiple variations on how one would connect to the internet. Currently, everyone is excited about the coming of 5G mobile internet. Not only does it promise better internet performance, but also the possibility of running AI devices without any delays. But the question is, what exactly is a 5G network?   

The expected arrival of 5G internet has been the talk of the telecom industry. This technology will eventually be able to grant one the access to fiber-like internet speeds of at least 1 Gbps wirelessly over a cellular network. The race is on and has Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T scrambling to be the first ones to capitalize on the opportunity to market their offerings and win over consumers. This move by these telecom giants openly challenges the broadband cable internet industry. What is yet to be known and cannot be determined until 5G internet becomes a reality. Spectrum has been hard at work recently to further develop their wired network to offer fiber-like internet speeds over a cable network. As of recently, the company has even gone out of their way to convert analog cables in low population areas over to digital. This will pave the way for the next iteration, better yet revolutionizing its internet services offerings.

Spectrum 5G to the Market

Spectrum, at this moment, is rated as the number two service provider in terms of cable and internet services. The company is currently in the process of preparing a two-part response in order to counter 5G wireless alternatives. The first part is to offer a faster wired broadband internet connection that surpasses the current service offering tenfold. The second is being able to offer 5G internet of its own, nationwide, using its existing wired infrastructure alongside a combination of next-gen wireless cells connected to a wired line.

Early reports have indicated that Spectrum has been testing 5G technology in six cities this year along with various other cellular competitors. The company has already brought a new service to the market for both new and existing customers, which it had coined as Spectrum Mobile. Spectrum Mobile currently offers a 4G data platform that comes in two flavors giving the consumer the option to either select an unlimited data plan or a per GB one to cater to a variety of its consumers and is powered by Verizon. Spectrum has in fact already started to build a consumer base for its next generation of internet offerings and will most likely capitalize on transitioning existing 4G customers into 5G consumers.

Spectrum Mobile

At this moment, Spectrum Mobile is offering two packages and has been able to undercut the market in terms of cost. The focus that really sets the two packages apart is the allocation of mobile data on a monthly basis. The first of the two package offers a per-GB option, which will cost consumers $14 a month per GB of data consumed. The second option is for users that consume a large amount of data while on the go and features unlimited data at $45 per month. Both plans offer unlimited nationwide calls and texting services at no additional cost as well as access to Spectrum Wi-Fi hotspots while on the go. The monthly cost per services has managed to effectively undercut the competition, however, requires that you have Spectrum residential internet services otherwise consumer will have to pay an additional $20 a month, making the 4G service offering quite reasonable to existing Spectrum internet consumers.

Verizon 5G

The fact is that 5G internet at this moment is in its infancy in terms of a true 5G nationwide network and the devices to support such a new technologic platform have slowly started to make their way to the market. Verizon is the first to market with 5G service offerings. Verizon will be charging $50 for existing wireless customer and $70 for new customers. Just to be clear Verizon 5G broadband internet services will be for homes and will be accessible via a device that is meant to be stationery. The initial services offerings, Verizon 5G home, will grant the user an average download speed of 300 Mbps with peak speeds nearly touching 1Gbps which Spectrum is already able to offer for its residential customers at this moment.

Competition and the Consumer

In reality, what we will most likely see is competition from various cellular service providers and residential internet providers once services 5G internet services are fully established. One thing is clear: the competition between vendors is always good for consumers since the promotional pricing is most favorable to new consumers as compared to existing customers. Verizon has forecasted that they will serve 20% or 30 million residential internet subscribers in the next 10 years while Spectrum currently already penetrated and captured 8% of the available market at this time. The only thing the company needs to do at this point is to implement its plans and gain FCC approval to pave the road to becoming the number one provider for both residential internet and cellular services.

With all these features brought and shared to the audience, it is evident that Spectrum is not far behind at making progress in keeping up with its services and the fierce competition around. It has done quite a lot for the convenience of its users. Even if you want to, you cannot compromise on getting internet service for yourself. Now is just the beginning.

Author Bio: Nathan John works as a content editor at Local Cable Deals. He has seven years of experience in content writing. He works for various online communities and writes about internet, technology and communication.