The promise is that 5G will bring speeds of around 10 gigabits per second to your phone. That’s more than 600 times faster than the typical 4G speeds on today’s mobile phones, and 10 times faster than Google Fiber’s standard home broadband service—fast enough to download a 4K high-definition movie in 25 seconds, or to stream several at the same time. Why are the availability and speeds so variable? It’s because 5G service is offered in three different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Low-band, which operates below 1 Ghz , can reach speeds of 250 mbps. The trade-off for low-band’s comparatively slower speeds is a broad reach, which means carriers can leave more distance between towers using this kind of equipment.

Analysts call the mid-band of the 5G spectrum the sweet spot, as it has a broad geographic reach and is faster than low-band. Mid-band operates between 1 and 6 GHz and can achieve speeds up to 1 Gbps.

To reach the top speeds associated with 5G, carriers need millimeter-wave (or mmWave) technology, which takes advantage of the very high end of the wireless spectrum. mmWave could enable those 10-Gbps speeds, but it comes with a trade-off: Millimeter-wave signals are less reliable over long distances and are easily disrupted by obstacles like trees, people, and even rain. To make it practical for mobile use, carriers need to deploy huge numbers of small access points in cities, instead of relying on a few big cell towers as they do today.

Of course, for mobile users to take advantage of these new 5G networks, they’ll need new devices. Most major phone makers either offer 5G handsets now or expect to by the end of 2020. Samsung, LG, and Motorola sell 5G-compatible phones;

Google is working on a 5G version of the Pixel,

and a 5G-compatible iPhone is expected before the end of this year. To date about 4.6 million 5G-compatible phones have been sold, according to the consultancy M Science; that means fewer than 2 percent of Americans with cell phones can take advantage of 5G.

CYBERSECURITY and DIGITAL SKILLS are Essential

Romania ranks 26th out of 28 EU Member States in the 2020 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). Based on data prior to the pandemic, Romania’s performance was the same in four of the five DESI dimensions measured. This is due to slow progress overall, but also due to political developments, as Romania has had four different governments over the last 3 years. We need political stability!

Romania performs best on Connectivity dimension, thanks to the high take-up of ultrafast broadband and the wide availability of fixed very high capacity networks, especially in urban areas. 49% of Romanian homes subscribe to ultrafast (at least 100 Mbps) broadband, the fifth highest figure in the EU.

However, digitisation of the economy lags behind, almost one fifth of Romanians have never used the internet, and less than a third have at least basic digital skills. Definitely after this year experience, thanks to Ludovic ORBAN PNL Gov we rise few more places.

Romania is well positioned as regards ICT graduates, as it ranks fifth, with 5.6% of all graduates (EU average: 3.6%), but until this year 2020 on Digital public services and on Use of internet services, Romania had the lowest performance among the EU Member States. Romania 2020 became a turning point on the digital transformation agenda.