Articles about 5G

As with many misunderstood aspects of science and technology, lots of myths and skepticism have built up around 5G technology. In addition to the idea that 5G is somehow inherently dangerous, conspiracy theories linking the technology to coronavirus vaccines and infection -- and wider COVID-19 conspiracy theories -- abound.

So it is perhaps little wonder that there something of an industry has built up around anti-5G products and accessories. One such product is the "negative ion" Quantum pendant. This has been found to be not only ineffective at offering "protection" against 5G (indeed, entirely unnecessary), but also dangerous. The Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) in the Netherlands has warned that the Quantum Pendant and numerous other negative ion products are radioactive, and people should stop using them immediately.

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When it comes to broadband internet, many parts of the USA are forced to use just one ISP as that is the only option. Sadly, whoever controls the wires that run into the homes has all the power. Even worse, in some rural areas, there are no wires going to homes, making broadband an impossibility. A local ISP may even ask you to shell out many thousands of dollars to cover the cost of running the cables from the street to your home.

Thankfully, 5G wireless can change all of this. Monopolistic companies that run wired ISPs have a current stranglehold, but that is coming to an end. Soon, 5G connectivity will be so ubiquitous, that it can serve not just as your smartphone's mobile internet, but your home's main internet too! Today, NETGEAR unveils a new networking solution to transform a 5G (or 4G LTE) wireless signal into whole-home Wi-Fi. The Orbi 5G WiFi 6 Mesh System (model number NBK752) even utilizes tri-band Wi-Fi!

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Samsung hasn't just announced one new Windows 11 laptop, but three of them. A trio of notebooks running Microsoft's latest desktop operating system? How exciting!

Two of these computers are traditional 15.6-inch LED 1080p laptops; one of that pair (Galaxy Book) has a touch-screen display, while the other (Galaxy Book Odyssey) does not. The third model (Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G), is a convertible with a 13.3-inch FHD AMOLED touch-screen that features 5G wireless connectivity.

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New research from IT services provider NTT DATA UK and research firm teknowlogy Group shows only 35 percent of telcoms companies have a clear strategy in place for rolling out 5G.

This is odd given that 94 percent of the senior business leaders from across Europe interviewed believe that 5G will transform the sector.

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The roll out of 5G with its download speeds up to 100 times faster than 4G looks set to revolutionize mobile communication. However, it does require considerable infrastructure investment from the operators.

A new initiative launched today by the UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will see a £4 million ($5.5 million) competition to make it simpler and quicker for mobile companies to use publicly-owned buildings and curbside infrastructure -- such as CCTV poles, traffic signals, lampposts and bus shelters -- to host 5G radio equipment.

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Mobile hotspots are built into all modern smartphones, allowing you to share your mobile data with other devices. It is a very useful feature, but it is not perfect. The problem with sharing your phone's data, you see, is that it will drain the battery quite quickly. Not to mention, if you have cellular data caps, you can run out of data very fast. This is why people still utilize dedicated hotspot devices with separate data plans.

Today, NETGEAR launches an unlocked variant of its exisiting Nighthawk M5 5G WiFi 6 Mobile Router. Carrying the model number of MR5200, not only is the cellular hotspot notable for using 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and a beautiful color screen, but it has a gigabit ethernet port too! In other words, you can hardwire your computer or other device directly to it -- very cool.

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About a year ago, we told you that Google was partnering with some hotels to have Nest Hub smart devices installed in guest rooms. Understandably, some people were concerned about having a microphone and camera in their hotel rooms.

However, those worries were unfounded. You see, Nest Hub doesn't even have a camera! Plus, Google is extremely focused on privacy, and the microphone can be totally disabled with a hardware switch. Ultimately, this hospitality partnership was simply a big win for hotel guests as they get to experience the convenience of Google Assistant when away from home.

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If you are a hardcore Android user, you should buy a Pixel. Google’s smartphones may not have the best specifications, but they do offer the purest Android experience. They are the only way to truly experience Android as Google intends it -- including timely OS updates. They are free of bloat, unlocked, and often very affordable. Best of all, they offer a remarkable photography experience.

Today, Google officially announces the oft-rumored Pixel 5a with 5G. It isn’t a flagship device, but with a reasonable $449 asking price, the Android 11 smartphone looks to be a great value. The 6.34-inch OLED screen features a respectable 2400x1080 resolution, while the 12.2 MP dual-pixel and 16 MP ultrawide rear cameras should take exceptional photos. While it does get water resistance, the Pixel 5a with 5G lacks wireless charging -- you must use USB-C to charge the 4680 mAh battery.

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Companies operating in the hotel and hospitality industry face strong competition from rivals when attempting to attract customers. The past 18 months have been difficult for the industry as well as the country as a whole. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the population is beginning to travel more extensively again, presenting an excellent opportunity to stimulate interest in a particular hotel destination.

The features and amenities a hotel offers can be the difference between serving satisfied guests who will happily return and disgruntled customers who are already looking for an alternative for their next trip. One of the features that a majority of travelers expect is connectivity for their mobile devices. Hotels that do not offer robust connectivity will not live up to the expectations of the majority of their customers.

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Just yesterday I went to the Verizon store to investigate upgrading my aging iPhone 8 Plus. The company was offering a promotion where I could get an iPhone 12 Pro for free if I switch. While finally having a 5G iPhone excited me, Verizon's service was insanely expensive, so I passed on the "deal." While getting a $1,000 phone for free was tempting, it got me wondering why anyone would actually spend so much out of pocket on a smartphone.

And now, today, T-Mobile launches a new 5G smartphone for only $199.99. Believe it or not, that is the retail price without any promotions. Called "REVVL V+," it is a 5G phone running Android 11 for less than $200. In other words, you could buy five of these phones for the same price as just one iPhone 12 Pro!

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In a bid to help communications service providers (CSPs) digitally transform, and to unlock new enterprise and consumer use cases, Google Cloud and Ericsson have announced a partnership to jointly develop 5G and edge cloud solutions.

The two companies are working together to develop new solutions at Ericsson's Silicon Valley D15 Labs, a state-of-the-art innovation center where advanced solutions and technologies can be developed and tested on a live, multi-layer 5G platform.

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Just 19 percent of US business professionals claim to understand the benefits of 5G, according to a survey by Ciena, carried out in partnership with research firm Dynata.

The main benefit associated with 5G is 'faster access speeds', cited by 61 percent of respondents. By contrast, only six percent of respondents think 'reduced latency' is a major benefit, only 18 percent named 'more reliable connectivity' and only 16 percent recognized 'better wireless coverage' as a major benefit.

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The TCL 10 series of phones are some of my personal favorites. The company managed to break into the smartphone market with devices that were premium despite being very aggressively priced. In other words, TCL proved that even consumers on a budget can have a high-quality handset. Heck, the TCL 10 5G UW in particular was cutting-edge while being priced under $400.

And now, the follow-up to the TCL 10 series is coming to America. Yes, the TCL 20 series of smartphones are on their way to the USA market, and like its predecessors, they too are priced affordably. There is a trio of new smartphones -- TCL 20 Pro 5G, TCL 20S and TCL 20 SE.

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A new high-tech lab to speed up the development of 5G communication kit and help the UK diversify its supply chains is being launched today.

The SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre (SONIC Labs) is backed by £1 million of government funding and aims to build a more secure and innovative supply chain which is fit for the future, less reliant on a small number of multinational suppliers and more accessible for new market entrants.

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Cybercriminals had a busy year in 2020, with rapidly increasing numbers of distributed denial of service (DDoS) weapons, widespread botnet activity, and some of the largest DDoS attacks ever recorded. As COVID-19 drove an urgent shift online for everything from education and healthcare, to consumer shopping, to office work, hackers had more targets available than ever -- many of them under protected due to the difficulty of maintaining security best practices in an emergency scenario.

At the same time, the ongoing rollout of 5G technologies has accelerated the proliferation of IoT and smart devices around the world, making unsuspecting new recruits available for botnet armies to launch crushing attacks on a massive scale.  

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