Quiz question: When was the last time an iPhone had two different designs to support network technologies in different parts of the world?

Now that 5G has arrived in the Benelux, many people see back in practice what we already concluded in September during the big 5G test; 5G is not really faster than 4G for the time being. This is mainly because 5G now works on a single frequency, the 700 MHz band. It offers an excellent range, but less capacity than higher frequencies. The next step is to add the 3.5GHz band after the auction in 2022. And after that? Then the big bang should follow: the mmWave frequencies of, for example, 26 GHz. They offer much more bandwidth and an enormous range. It’s already in the US and South Korea, so why don’t we have that super-fast form of 5G yet?

What is mmWave? The mmWave frequencies are so called because the wavelength around those frequencies is around a millimeter. The advantage of these frequency bands is that there is much more space there. More space means that you can send more data through the air and thus have faster internet.

IEEE illustration of frequencies. Orange ‘cellular’ are current frequencies, red mmWave are the high 5G frequencies The disadvantage is that the range is poor. Providers themselves calculate in the hundreds of meters per antenna, but even that is optimistic. Any tree, building, and lamppost can theoretically block your signal and therefore the phone will have to go back to a lower frequency. And you also have to watch out for your own body, because the signal doesn’t pass through that either.

Ericsson’s idea: 5G in manhole covers To give an idea of ​​the speeds: at 5G we have in the Netherlands on the 700 MHz band speeds measured from around 150 Mbit / s, with outliers slightly above. In tests in places with mmWave from the American provider Verizon Wireless, reviewers often reach 1500 Mbit / s. The question, of course, is what you need that bandwidth for and the answer is in many cases: not. On the other hand: 12 Mbit / s on a phone also sounded faster than you will ever need twelve years ago and now it is becoming a lower limit in the Netherlands, which providers have to offer in any case.

The technology is no different than with 5G on other frequencies; it is therefore about NR, the radio technique whose abbreviation means New Radio. In addition, masts use beamforming to direct the power to the device itself, rather than randomly beaming it around. The transmission towers are relatively small; it concerns small cells . They can be attached to lampposts, bus shelters or buildings. The idea is to provide coverage in busy areas with many small cell towers with little radiation.

The frequency is totally useless for providing nationwide coverage; the current 700 MHz frequency is the most suitable. More speed will come with the 3.5GHz band in two years, while mmWave can help in busy places and times; think of a full square with King’s Day or a stadium full of sports fans. Most importantly, users have a line-of-sight , line of sight, with the mast. It can also function in busy city centers and stations. It could also work for providing high-speed Internet for the home in clusters of houses, but the routers in those houses must be pointed exactly at the mast.

Verizon Mast with 5G on mmWave. These masts are not high and the antennas are relatively small;

they can also be mounted on lampposts and on bus shelters are placed. The planning for 5G in the Netherlands In the Netherlands, 5G is now live in the 700 MHz band, but how does it proceed ? An auction is coming in 2022 for the 3.5GHz band, one of the primary bands for 5G. In addition, it is still possible to add 5G to current frequencies. Vodafone already has 5G on the 1800 MHz band in the Netherlands in addition to 4G. It is not inconceivable that providers will convert frequencies for 4G into 5G. For example, the maximum speed and capacity of 5G will increase rapidly, while that of 4G will decrease.

This also happened with 3G. Providers have given this less and less scope in recent years. This is mainly because there are far fewer people on the older network. As a result, less space is needed to still be able to offer good coverage and sufficient capacity. With 5G it will probably not be much different. With phones from all major brands on sale with 5G, including iPhones, the number of users on 5G will grow rapidly. As a result, the demand for space on the 4G network will decrease, while more people will come to 5G. Shifting frequencies has been allowed for years and is also possible, now that transmission towers have started to support that.

MmWave is delayed About the 26 GHz band is mentioned in last year’s Memorandum on Mobile Communication. “Although a technology such as 5G requires large amounts of frequencies, it is not inconceivable that the scarcity for these types of frequencies is geographic in nature or perhaps even absent. above the 24 GHz based on the need to license them on a national scale. ” Wait, what does it actually say here? The government therefore believes that there is no scarcity due to the limited range and large frequency spectrum and that there is little chance that it will disturb other signals. That is why, according to the government, auctioning is actually not necessary.

This has consequences. “This opens up the possibility of making these high frequencies available to a larger number of parties. , or by facilitating shared or shared use. This makes it possible for all kinds of companies to develop services that make use of these high frequencies. ” So mobile providers would not have to put billions of euros on the table to bid for 5G on the frequency band that offers the fastest speeds. As a result, everyone may be allowed to use the frequency. The government does note that the European Union may draw up technical conditions of use to ensure that the frequency works in the same way throughout the Union.

In addition, the Health Council advises to wait with offering 5G on the 26 GHz band until more research is done. Since that frequency has not been used before, there are no studies. There is no physical reason to believe that the radiation is harmful. It is still unknown what the cabinet will do with the advice. State Secretary Mona Keijzer of Economic Affairs said a few weeks ago that she is studying the advice and is working on a government response.

Plans of providers with mmWave Then of course the question arises what providers are planning with mmWave frequencies. None of the mobile providers says they currently have concrete plans for the use of the high frequencies in the Netherlands.

T-Mobile sees the advantages of the high frequencies, but is waiting more for the 3.5GHz auction, says spokesman Klaas Jan Lageschaar. “We initially expect the most potential of the new 3.5GHz band for 5G in the Netherlands. However, the capacity and speeds of 5G-mmWave are unparalleled. This certainly creates new possibilities in areas and applications that we still have today. We are pleased that the latest telephones already have 5G-mmWave support. ”

KPN points to the report of the Health Council and is waiting. Vodafone says it is awaiting what the ministry decides about the use of the frequency, but does not want to anticipate any plans.

Little scientific test by MrMobile: even its own body blocks signal

Now a comparison can already be made: the American provider Verizon Wireless has 5G live on a mmWave frequency band, just like a South Korean provider. So there are also extensive tests of 5G on that frequency. In addition to videos of tests, reports are also available, such as that from Signals Research Group. He researched mmWave in the American city of Minneapolis and discovered that the coverage was very variable. In addition, the test showed that it is possible to virtually block the range by holding the phone the wrong way. A death grip will result in a loss of signal on the test phone of approximately – 20 dBm. To express it in dashes, that’s going from five dashes to one dash by the way you hold the phone.

iPhone 4 for Verizon (top) and

regular iPhone 4. Photo: Slashgear Does that remind you of something? Indeed. That was also the case with the iPhone 4 ten years ago. It was then called antennagate, a design choice where users could block the signal by holding the phone in a certain way. Apple fixed that with the iPhone 4 for Verizon Wireless, which came out a few months later and where the antennas were slightly different in the housing, something the iPhone 4s later also got.

The iPhone 4 was , to answer the quiz question at the beginning of the article, the last time the same iPhone had a different design from different carriers. That was to improve the range, but not because of a difference in network technology. In 2020 iPhones do differ by network technology. The mmWave antenna for the version to work at, there it is again, the American Verizon Wireless, requires additional antennas and an opening in the side of the phone that resembles a button.

That side window is needed for the mmWave antenna for 5G of the Qualcomm modem in the iPhone 12 models, something that the iPhone 12 models in Europe do not have and do not need. Phone manufacturers have concluded that mmWave will not be available in Europe for the time being and so often omit it. For example, Google has released the Pixel 5 in Europe without mmWave, which makes a difference in price. The phone costs 699 dollars in the US; converted and with VAT that would soon amount to around 725 euro, but the telephone costs in Europe 629 euros. With this pricing strategy, it is therefore clear what you pay extra for the extra fast 5G. Some manufacturers don’t. In that case, we will already pay the price for the faster 5G, although we cannot use it for the time being.