Slow and unreliable broadband continues to be a massive issue for home owners across the UK. Although things have (slightly) improved in recent years, there are still millions of homes that aren’t getting the speeds needed to cope with the online onslaught of this digital age.
As it stands, the current average broadband speed is 50Mbps, which means you can download a full 1080p HD movie in around 12 minutes. However, some properties in rural areas are getting well below that speed with a recent report from USwitch stating that in 2019 almost one fifth (19%) of all users struggled with broadband slower than 10Mbps, while one in ten (9%) crawl along at less than 5Mbps.
But even if your home broadband is painfully slow, things are about to get a whole lot better on your smartphone. In fact, the next generation of mobile devices will be so quick it will make the cables coming into your home look mightily embarrassing.
US technology firm Qualcomm has just announced the launch of its new 5G technology and it’s capable of bringing the web to your phone at 7Gbps.
At that speed, you’d be able to download your next 1080p movie in just 7 seconds — that’s 11 minutes faster than the average fixed-line broadband.
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This upgrade has been made possible thanks to the latest kit from Qualcomm — its new Snapdragon X60 5G Modem-RF System, which can be tucked inside mobile devices for the ultimate speed boost. To help manufacturers achieve the perfect form-factor, this new platform features a more compact design than the previous generation which allows for thinner, sleeker smartphones.
This is the third-generation 5G modem from Qualcomm and is comfortably the fastest, with the US company boasting its Snapdragon X60 allows for fibre-like internet speeds and low latency internet delivered over 5G.
Of course, outside of the optimum lab conditions, it’s unlikely many will get the full 7.5Gbps that Qualcomm are stating but even if half that speed is achieved in the real world it will still be considerably quicker than any broadband that’s currently available.
5G is the future of mobile technology with all big UK networks now investing heavily in upgrading their current 4G infrastructure. Many of the world’s biggest phone firms are also launching more 5G- ready handsets and Apple is rumoured to be working on a superfast iPhone which could launch later this year.
Speaking about the upgrade, Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon said: “Qualcomm Technologies is at the heart of 5G launches globally with mobile operators and OEMs introducing 5G services and mobile devices at record pace.
“As 5G standalone networks are introduced in 2020, our third-generation 5G modem-RF platform brings extensive spectrum aggregation capabilities and options to fuel the rapid expansion of 5G roll outs while enhancing coverage, power efficiency and performance for mobile devices. We are excited about the fast adoption of 5G across geographies and the positive impact 5G is having on the user experience.”
Qualcomm says it plans to begin supplying this technology to smartphone manufacturers later this year, with consumers expected to see these superfast devices arriving in stores from early 2021. As long as UK mobile networks can update the masts with the necessary kit, you could be whizzing around the web at 7x the speed of the fastest commercially available fibre broadband.
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