These are the three types of 5G networks available on the market
The 5G technology It is here to stay and, although it is true that a few years ago it was quite difficult to enjoy this coverage in Spain, today this type of connection has greater coverage, in addition to having more and more compatible phones and other devices.
What you may not know is that there is more than one 5G network, and your mobile will connect to one or the other depending on the situation. Let’s see in detail how the three available networks work.
Millimeter waves, mid band and low band
We will start by talking about the network. millimeter waves or mmWave. In this case, we are talking about a signal that works in the 24 GHz frequency and that offers a really high connection speed.
This signal is what your mobile phone uses when it is outdoors. And the reason is as simple as millimeter waves are very sensitive to obstacles, so they can only cover certain areas. A wall or even the roof of a car is enough to suffer signal loss.
these networks they need mmWave towers to work, and it would take a massive deployment for our phones to always connect through this network, so at the moment it is the least used signal. Will things change in the future? Everything is possible, but at the moment the necessary investment makes it impossible.
The 5G mid-band is the most used signal. Known as Sub-6, it works with frequencies between 1 and 6 GHz and does not offer a very decent speed, although it is lower than mmWave. In return, it can pass through walls and other obstacles without too much trouble, which is why it is the most used signal. As we have told you, it offers a lower connection speed than mmWave, but it is still quite fast, so the user experience is really good.
Lastly, we have the low band, which is a type of signal that works below 1 GHz, just like the 2G band. Keep in mind that its connection speed is very low, so it is not a signal used by our mobile phones, but is limited to gadgets and other IoT products that need very low transmission speeds to work. In return, he can go through all kinds of obstacles without any limitations.
How to know what 5G coverage I am using
Now that you know the three types of 5G signals available, you may be interested in knowing what type of network your phone has connected to. Know that it is as simple as seeing the icon that appears on your smartphone. If you see 5G+ or 5G UW, it means you are connected to the mmWave or millimeter wave signal. In the event that an icon appears that simply indicates 5G, you will be connected in the medium band.
As you may have verified, there are three types of 5G signals, although when we try to connect through a mobile phone, only the millimeter wave or mmWave network is used, in addition to medium band when you are indoors.
