The 5G era is coming soon. If you don’t answer these 10 questions, you will be left behind.

Ultra-fast "fifth-generation 5G" mobile internet will be launched in some countries as early as next year, and our download speeds will increase by 10-20 times compared to now.

But what impact will it have on our lives? Do we need to change our phones? Will 5G solve the "no signal" problem for residents in remote areas?

1. What exactly is 5G?

It is the next (fifth) generation of mobile communications, offering faster upload and download speeds, wider coverage and more stable connections.

It's all about making better use of the radio spectrum so more devices can access the mobile internet at the same time.

2. What can 5G enable us to do?

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“Whatever we do with our smartphones, we do it faster and better,” said Ian Fogg of OpenSignal, a mobile data analytics company.

“Imagine smart glasses that enable augmented reality, mobile virtual reality, higher-definition video, and the internet of things making cities smarter.”

"But what's really exciting is the new businesses that we can't predict."

Imagine drone swarms participating in search and rescue missions, fire assessments, and traffic monitoring, all communicated over 5G networks.

Many people also believe that 5G will be crucial to driverless cars, which will be able to communicate better with each other and read real-time maps and traffic data more effectively.

In layman's terms, for mobile gamers, there will be less delay between pressing a controller button and seeing the effect on the screen. Video playback on mobile terminals will be faster and more stable. Video chats will be clearer and smoother. Wearable fitness equipment can monitor your health data in real time and notify your doctor immediately in case of an emergency.

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How does 5G work?

There may be a variety of new technologies that will be used, but not all 5G protocols have corresponding standards yet. The 3.5GHz (gigahertz)-26GHz and even higher frequency bands have great capacity, but due to the shorter wavelength, the coverage range is also smaller, which makes it easier to be blocked by objects.

So we may see clusters of smaller cell towers closer to the ground, with smaller towers transmitting so-called “millimeter waves” between a larger number of transmitters and receivers, which can increase usage density. But this is more expensive, and telecom companies haven’t fully adopted it yet.

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4. Will 5G be very different from 4G?

Yes, it's a completely new radio technology, but you probably won't notice the dramatic increase in speeds at first. To ensure consistency of service to customers, 5G will likely initially be used by carriers to increase capacity on existing 4G (LTE) networks, and the speeds you get will depend on the frequency bands your carrier runs 5G on and how much your carrier has invested in new towers and transmitters.

5. How fast can 5G be?

The fastest 4G mobile networks today offer speeds of around 45Mbps (megabits per second), and the industry hopes to reach 1Gbps (gigabit per second = 1,000Mbps). Chipmaker Qualcomm believes 5G could enable browsing and downloading speeds 10 to 20 times faster in real-world (not lab) conditions. Imagine downloading a high-definition movie in about a minute.

This is a 5G network built on the existing 4G LTE network. Independent 5G networks can operate at very high frequencies (such as 30GHz), which can easily achieve browsing speeds of more than a gigabit. However, this scenario is unlikely to appear in a few years.

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6. Why do we need 5G?

The world is moving towards mobile, and we consume more data every year, especially with the growing popularity of video and music streaming. Current frequency bands are becoming increasingly crowded, leading to service interruptions, especially when many people in the same area try to access online mobile services at the same time. From mobile phones to device sensors, from cameras to smart street lights, 5G is better at handling a large number of devices.

7. When will 5G arrive?

Most countries are unlikely to launch 5G services before 2020, although Qatar's Ooredoo says it has already launched commercial services and South Korea plans to start next year, with the country's three largest network operators agreeing to start services simultaneously. China is also aiming to launch 5G services in 2019.

Meanwhile, regulators around the world have been busy auctioning off spectrum to telecoms companies, which have been experimenting with the new service with phone makers.

8. Do I need to change my mobile phone?

Sorry, I'm afraid so. But when 4G was introduced in October 2009, compatible smartphones were available before infrastructure was fully built, leading to frustration among some consumers who felt they were paying more for services they could not enjoy.

This time around, Fogg said phone makers are unlikely to make the same mistake and will wait until the new networks are ready to launch 5G phones, which could be before the end of 2019. These new-generation phones will be able to switch seamlessly between 4G and 5G networks, providing more stable service.

9. Will the fixed-line business come to an end?

In a word, no. Telecommunications companies have invested too much in fixed-line broadband over fibre and copper to scrap it quickly. Domestic and office broadband services will be based mainly on landlines for many years to come, although they will also offer so-called fixed wireless access services alongside them.

No matter how good a wireless connection is, many people prefer the stability and certainty of a wired connection.

We can think of 5G mobile devices as a complementary service that makes it easier to interact with the world around us when we are out and about. It will also facilitate the development of the much-anticipated "Internet of Things".

10. Can 5G be used in rural areas?

In the UK and many countries, rural areas often lack signal and have lower speeds. But 5G will not necessarily solve this problem because it will operate on high-frequency bands, or at least start from these bands, which results in high capacity but shorter coverage distances. 5G will mainly provide services to cities in densely populated areas.

Lower frequency bands (typically 600-800Mhz) perform better over longer distances, so network operators will focus on improving their 4G LTE coverage alongside 5G deployment.

But the commercial reality is that for some people in very remote areas, without government subsidies, network operators may not find it worthwhile to develop business in these places.

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