The 5G Lie: The Network Is Still Slow

There is a lot being said about the big switch from 4G to 5G. No, 5G does not cause Coronavirus. No 5G will NOT cause cancer or brain tumors. But is the new 5G network actually faster and better?

Geoffrey A. Fowler is a techonology expert with The Washington Post. He's taken several 5G phones, along with a fist full of 4G phones, and gone out to test them.

Mr. Fowler says that "5G may hold promise for the years ahead — but across most of America in 2020, a 5G phone does diddly squat. Testing 5G phones, I’ve been clocking download speeds that are roughly the same as on 4G LTE ones. And in some places, like inside my house and along the California highway, my 5G phones actually have been slower."

But wait, after all of the promises, how can that be? You can watch his explanation in the video at the top of this story.

Mr. Fowler explains, "When I asked executives at the networks about speed, they acknowledged a truth their advertisements carefully omit. “Our 5G experience initially is as good or better than our 4G LTE experience,” said Chris Sambar, AT&T’s executive vice president for technology operations. Let that sink in: At least for now, 5G is … only as good as 4G."

So it seems the answer here is - don't rush out to buy 5G just yet. They have a lot of work to do before it's better.