RDB's Blog Special: 4G/LTE vs 5G-NR

While we are waiting for 5G, and hopefully there will not much delay compared to global roll out, let's discuss the differences between present 4G-LTE technology and upcoming 5G-New Radio (NR) technology. 

At present all three private mobile carrier - Jio, Airtel and Vi are offering 4G-LTE with a mix of LTE-TDD and LTE-FDD. State owned BSNL is yet to launch 4G. 

We can expect 5G spectrum auction during mid-2022 and launch may come faster - as early as in another 3-4 months. 

** In October 2022, Airtel and Jio launched 5G services. Jio opted for 5G-SA while Airtel opted for 5G-NSA. Jio's 5G-Standalone tech offers more speed compared to Airtel's 5G-NSA which uses 4G-LTE network as a core. Whatever both Airtel and Jio did expand 5G across the country so fast - we can assume that's world's fastest 5G roll out. 

Here is the difference between 4G and 5G: 

	4G LTE (LTE - 3GPP Release 8 LTE-A - 3GPP Release 10)	5G-NR
Speed	Typically offers 100Mbps – 1Gbps depending upon spectrum allocation In India we never saw 100Mbps on 4G in real time. Real world speed is often around 20-50Mbps.	Ultra fast speed: can reach 1 – 10 Gbps (real-world speeds often 100 Mbps – 1 Gbps).   Example: Downloading a full HD movie takes ~10 mins on 4G but just ~10 seconds on 5G.
Latency	30-50 ms	As low as 1ms (in ideal condition) Important for real-time apps like gaming, VR, and remote surgery.
Network Capacity & Efficiency	Struggles in crowded areas (concerts, stadiums)	Handles 1 million devices per km² (vs. ~100,000 on 4G) Bonus: Uses network slicing to allocate bandwidth dynamically (better for IoT, smart cities).
Frequency Bands & Coverage	LTE can be deployed over 800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2300, 2500 MHz bands in India. It also uses sub-6 GHz frequencies (good coverage but limited speed)	Uses three spectrum bands: Low-band (Sub-1 GHz) – Wider coverage but similar to 4G speeds. Mid-band (1-6 GHz) – Balanced speed & coverage (main 5G deployment). High-band (mmWave, 24-100 GHz) – Ultra-fast but short-range (best for cities).
Upgrade of 5G	LTE uses maximum 4x4 MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)  LTE Advanced uses 8x8 MIMO and carrier aggregation (CA = uses multiple bands of spectrum together). LTE-Advanced Pro gets enhanced CA, upto 32 carriers with maximum bandwidth of 640 MHz, employs advanced modulation schemes (e.g., 256QAM) to carry more data per symbol. Thus it offers better spectrum utilization and peak data speed could reach 3Gbps.	5G uses massive MIMO 64x64 - more antennas for better signal. Beamforming: Focuses signals directly to devices instead of broadcasting widely. Edge Computing: Data processing happens closer to users, reducing lag.
Applications Enabled by 5G		Autonomous vehicles (ultra-low latency needed). Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) (high bandwidth + low latency). Smart cities & IoT (billions of connected devices). Remote work & telemedicine (HD video, real-time collaboration).
Challenges in Upgrading to 5G		Infrastructure Cost: Requires more cell towers (especially mmWave), though software upgradation is easier. Device Compatibility: Need 5G-enabled phones/laptops. Battery Drain: Early 5G devices consume more power.

Image credit: Google Gemini AI