Amidst the flurry of news about the beginning of the provision of the 5G SA or ”pure” 5G signal and its advantages, people have been wondering if it is worth canceling their plans for Internet access via fixed connection and exchange for the new technology.
If you are one of those who considered the possibility, but still have doubts, today we will present the factors that should be considered in the decision.
5G in São Paulo and other capitals
Since the official launch of “puro” or SA (StandAlone) 5G on July 6 in the Federal District, we have seen other capitals making the signal.
On the 4th (04/08/2022), it was São Paulo’s turn, and Belo Horizonte, João Pessoa and Porto Alegre, in addition to Brasília, had already started operations .
Of the more than 4500 stations in the urban area of São Paulo – the largest and most connected city in the country – not all of them emit the 5G SA signal and which, on average, represents about 25% coverage.
For all the antennas to start transmitting, there must be a licensing with Anatel, a process that is not immediate, as it involves technical and bureaucratic aspects, not to mention the investment, since the particularities of the technology require more antennas than is necessary for 4G.
The Minister of Communications said that all Brazilian capitals should have 5G working until August 29th and from then on, they will have 30 days (until September 29, 2022) for operators to make the commercial launch, that is, effectively make it available to users and that this process must be accompanied by Anatel.
Particularly in the case of the largest city in the country, both in geographic terms and in terms of users, the data is still not accurate. On the occasion of this post, Claro claims to have 52 covered neighborhoods, Vivo has 54 and Tim, leads with 96 neighborhoods in the metropolis, which, according to the company, is the entire universe of the São Paulo capital.
That is, despite the initial information pointing to 25% coverage in this initial phase, depending on the operator by which the user is served, in practice he may have a different percentage of coverage and which, in the case of Tim, is theoretically 100%.
This information somehow already helps to clarify the doubts of many users, at the same time they generate other doubts, but that we will deal with later.
It’s do I need to change the chip?
Amidst the many doubts, whether from those who just want to enjoy 5G SA, or those who are thinking of replacing their fixed connection services, many have asked: “I need change chip?”.
There is no single answer.
Claro informs that it is not necessary to change the chip or hire another plan.
On the contrary, n In the case of Vivo, the operator informs that its own chip is needed, but like Claro, it says it is not necessary to change plans and there will be no additional charge to enjoy the fifth generation signal.
TIM users, on the other hand, need a new plan, which will only be launched on August 18, 2022, but without the need to change the SIM card and without additional charges.
Vale is it worth changing the fixed connection for 5G SA?
In general and for most, the answer is: it is not yet the time.
In some In very specific cases, it may even be advantageous, but it is necessary to pay attention to everything that must be taken into account before making a decision.
1. iPhone users
Apple users don’t have 5G SA yet. Here in Brazil, the iPhone 13 only works for the 5G NSA (Non StandAlone) and according to the manufacturer, enjoying the “pure” signal will only happen after some tests and adjustments so that the device has the best possible performance.
The difference between the speed of the SA and NSA signal will not be felt most of the time, however, the latency of the second is higher, meaning that depending on the type of application, the performance that the technology is capable of providing.
When available, the devices will automatically be able to operate with the fifth generation signal, through an update of the iOS operating system, but there is still no forecast of when this will happen.
So, if you are a user who has this device model or intends to change the current one to the new model, you will still have to wait.
two. Operator used
As we have seen, the information is not found between the official source (Anatel) and the operators and we are led to believe that there is a lot of Marketing in the information disclosed, at least by the Tim, Vivo and Claro.
For example, in the case of Tim that reports having 1150 antennas in the city of São Paulo and that at the time of the official launch, 850 of them were already active and distributing the signal of fifth generation, it is imagined that even saying that it already offers coverage in all neighborhoods, in some of them the coverage may not be homogeneous and/or complete and when that is the case, the user may only have 4G.
For Claro and Vivo users, it is convenient to check which neighborhoods are already served.
If you are in another capital, the same type of consideration needs to be observed, because the operators will have similar implementation plans, that is, gradual and with different stages of coverage for each one.
3. What is the use?
What is the use made of the fixed connection?
This is another essential factor that needs to be considered and which has several consequences , such as:
- Monthly data consumption or data traffic;
- Type of accesses made;
- Shared or individual use.
By just these three aspects, it is already possible to have an idea of the possible challenges that the eventual exchange can cause.
The main fixed connection services do not have an explicit limitation of data traffic, which means that in a given month if necessary, you can do 200 Gb of downloads and that’s fine. In all data plans for mobile telephony of the three operators, there are limits and that depending on the user profile, are easily attainable.
If you have not yet updated Windows to version 11 and want to to do so, the operating system ISO alone represents between 10% and 20% of the traffic of the more expensive plans, depending on the operator. With a few more hours of high quality video streaming (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc), the mobile data allowance is exhausted.
Another issue is the type of access made, that is, , what types of data are accessed. Is it really necessary to make the change, or does your fixed connection already serve you? Accessing websites, sending and receiving emails, accessing files stored in the cloud and the like, won’t make such a big difference, unless you have to upload a gigantic file to your Google Drive, for example.
In most situations, especially for those with fiber optic services, the differences are not so noticeable.
Finally, and also of great importance, is to answer how many people will share the connection . For someone alone, there are not many problems, but just having to share it with someone else (ex: couple) and problems will arise.
When the device to which the service is associated is not in local, because the user left for work or shopping or just for a walk, how are the other users?
And even when he is present and it is not impossible to use, how to share via the router Wi-Fi connection to all other devices that exist in the home or office?
Without a doubt, these types of issues make it impossible to make the switch, or at least create problems with difficult solutions.
4. Start of the service
This is not a particularity of this service, but of every service and products as well. Everyone needs a time of maturation, during which adjustments, improvements, problem solving occur and that, however extensive the testing phase has been, only practice will solve.
In others In other words, despite all the long road until we have the fifth generation telephony signal, it is quite likely that in this initial phase problems will appear, such as inadequate coverage, instability and bottlenecks.
If, for example, in a certain neighborhood there is a great adhesion, will the present infrastructure be able to meet the demand?
The quality and stability of the service can only be proven, in practice and those who wait until there is a retrospect of use , can avoid some hassles.
5. Investment
Whether because it requires an approved 5G cell phone, or by changing the chip and, above all, according to the use – demand for data traffic – which is made, for some users, joining 5G SA in detriment of a fixed connection will require an investment that cannot be disregarded.
It should also be remembered that depending on the situation, some fixed connection plans have a loyalty clause, which means that canceling the service before the end of the term of the contract implies paying a fine or the remaining monthly fees until its termination.
It is worth remembering that 5G will not be limited to mobile devices. At some point – not yet defined – we will have the FWA service (Fixed Wireless Access or fixed wireless access) and that should solve the issue of linking access to a cell phone and everything that would be necessary for residential connections or even in an office.
It remains to be seen how much this will cost.
Therefore, at this first moment and while the service is not popularized and it is established, for the vast majority of cases, to exchange your fixed connection for a 5G SA, is not worth it.
Conclusion
To change a residential or even an office fixed connection, it involves considering a series of factors that may not be worthwhile for many.
