Since 1983 internet has made human life easier and changed the perspective through which one used to see business, education, delivery, government, healthcare, and even the way we connect to our loved ones. We used to receive high-speed internet to our house through optical fibers and cable networks but the wireless internet speed was still in question because the cable internet was faster than 4G. Now 5G is going to revolutionize the entire world through its high-speed cable like fast internet but it will be entirely wireless. Let us know about ‘5G Vs Cable’.
How fast is 5G over cable internet?
Cable: These are asynchronous connections which means they are not coordinated in time and don’t require scheduling. Download speeds for cable connections are between 10 Mega bites per second to 500 Mega bites per second. Whereas the upload speed is between 5 Mega bites per second to 50 Mega bites per second.
5G: These are also asynchronous connections and are not coordinated in time. Well, 5G is way faster than cable internet. Theoretically, the download speed for 5G ranges between 1 Giga bites per second to 10 Giga bites per second. Whereas the latency or the time that it takes to send data could be as low as 1 millisecond.
5G Vs Cable, Which one is more available in US?
Cable: About 88% of Americans have access to cable internet. There are more than 200 cable providers across the country. Infinity, Spectrum, Cox, Optimum, etc. are some common cable internet providers across the country.
5G: 5G home internet began on October 1, 2018. And it began to expand widely throughout the US from April 3, 2019. At present, it is widely available in 1700 cities across the US and nationwide it covers more than 2000 cities. Verizon is one of the leading 5G providers in the country. It began expanding in April 2019 and now it is available in parts including Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Atlanta, Detroit, Washington, Phoenix, Panama, New York City, etc.
Is Cable internet cheaper than 5G internet?
Well, if you are looking for high speed, lower latency, network slicing with greater capacity than 4G which means quicker uploads and downloads then the price must not matter to you because this is going to break the heart of 5G lovers who want it to be budget-friendly. Though 5G is less expensive than optical fiber internet it is on the higher side if you compare it with the price of cable internet.
Cable: The cost of cable internet ranges from $10 to $30 per month.
5G: The cost of 5G can go up to $70 per month. But this is mainly because the technology is still new and not yet established worldwide.
Is 5G as fast as it claims to be theoretically or does cable internet still wins the race?
Well, the answer to this question might be complicated but if the technological experts after practically testing it have concluded that cable internet will still be faster if one doesn’t have access to mm-Wave 5G.
The rural areas where cable has not yet reached 5G will be the best option but for the cities, the combination of cable internet along with 5G produces deadly internet speed. One can experience the true power of 5G only when it has good coverage and mm-Wave technology. 5G carriers like Verizon can download data with a speed of 1 Giga bite per second speed. But these are only best-case scenarios. Verizon with its Ultra-wideband (UWB) millimeter-wave (mm-wave) technology promises customers to expect a speed of 300 Mega bites per second to 1 Giga bite per second.
5G Harms the environment as well as humans whereas cable internet doesn’t?
This is not true. Yes, one can say that 5G is comparatively more harmful to birds, bees, trees, and even humans because of its high-frequency waves and ionizing power. But recent studies have proved that cable internet has led to weather change. The underwater cable networks that were laid back in the 1800s have proved to have an impact on weather change and the climate.
Researchers in Miami are studying how it has impacted the climate patterns but one cannot deny that 5G is deadly in terms of speed as well as in terms of its radiation and the negative impact that it is causing on the environment. Hundreds of birds have died due to the impact of the high-frequency waves of 5G. But it has not proved to be that harmful to humans. Just after the launch of 5G vs cable a lot of articles accused it to be potential for DNA mutation. But recent research has proved it to be harmless.
The mm Waves are non-ionizing waves which doesn’t split the DNA and hence cannot cause mutation. However recent study said that it might be carcinogenic, even the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that 5G is capable of causing cancer to some extent but scientists are studying more about it and would surely bring some good news to the world.
Could 5G replace cable broadband?
This might be a thing of the future until then cable broadband will still dominate because of the following reasons:
• The coverage of 5G is not yet that large and hence many parts of the country still have to depend on cable internet. Data shows that 88% of areas in the USA are still using cable internet.
• The installation cost for 5G is high. Since these are low-frequency waves at least one tower every 500 meters is required for 5G coverage.
• World inflation is at its peak and hence the common working class would still go with the cheaper option.
Theoretically, 5G vs cable,5G is faster than anything in the world but practically it gives a speed of 200 Mega Bites per second.
Conclusion
One must choose his internet depending upon his requirements and budget. A tech expert would require 5G but a common man may still use 4G Wi-Fi along with cable internet. It is entirely their personal choice but one must be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the network he is using.
