Where does 5G stand three years after its first commercialization in 2019? Let’s start with the frequency band. The sub-6 GHz (3.5 – 7 GHz) and millimeter wave (mmWave, >24 GHz) bands are the two new bands among the spectrum covered in 5G. Despite the hype surrounding mmWave, according to IDTechEx’s “5G Market 2023-2033: Technology, Trends, Forecasts, Players” report, 53% of 5G commercial/pre-commercial services are actually based on sub-6 GHz, with mmWave accounting only for less than 10% of the market. The sub-6 GHz band is a popular choice because it finds a balance between providing excellent data throughput and being reasonably priced. mmWave, on the other hand, would be too expensive to implement on a broad scale due to the nature of short signal transmission and non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) issues (more base stations are required!). Continue reading