5G Network Speed Test Peaks at 3.6 Gbps: How Faster Internet Speed Can Affect the Future of Technology

The world's first 5G test has revealed that the upcoming internet network will be the fastest in history. According to Digital Trends, Huawei and NTT DoCoMo has conducted what the two companies are calling"the world's first successful large-scale field test of 5G new radio access technologies."

For those who are unfamiliar with the companies, Huawei is a Chinese telecommunications company. On the other hand, NTT DoCoMo is a Japanese mobile service provider. The 5G field test was conducted outdoors in Chengdu, China.

For the test, 24 devices were connected simultaneously to a sub-6GHz frequency band. The 5G test run yielded an average download speed of 1.34 Gbps and an outstanding peak download speed of 3.6Gbps.

"As the first in the world to succeed with such a large multi-user environment test, this is an important milestone. This is very encouraging as the industry works to commercialize 5G by 2020..." commented Tekehiro Nakamura, NTT's Vice President and Managing Director, reports Tech Radar.

Digital Trends explains that the International Telecommunications Union has set a five year plan for the testing, conceptualizing and implementation of 5G technology. If the ITU's plan is successful, 5G technology will be ready to market by 2020. Nakamura further states that another large-scale field test will be conducted in Japan, beginning the next testing phase for 5G technology

An LTE speed test was conducted by OpenSignal during its "the State of LTE" report last month. To put the 5G test results in perspective, New Zealand currently has the fastest LTE download speed, which set the record at 36 Mbps. Meanwhile, one of the slowest LTE speeds in the world was set by the United States, which averaged out at 10 Mbps.

At the moment, LTE is the fastest wireless network speed in the world. Since 5G is still years away, the telecommunications industry is currently working on an enhanced version of LTE, called LTE-Advanced or LTE-A.

However, PipeLine explains that 5G will not just be faster than its predecessors, it will herald in a new era for technology. 5G is the wireless network that could pave the way for world-wide connectivity with unimaginable applications. Currently, the 5G network can improve technology like video surveillance that requires 24-7 bandwidth, machine-to-machine modules and even autonomous cars.

Of course, as with any piece of new tech, there will be some risks to commercializing 5G, states TechRepublic. For instance, a cloud-based autonomous driving system dependent on 5G must always stay connected, since it could mean the difference between life or death.

If a self-driving car were to lose signal right before it needed to press on the brakes, an accident could occur. Tech companies are currently working on the possible latency issue with 5G. Other bugs and problems may arise, but nothing is certain until 5G is commercialized.