In 2020, 5G was promoted as a technology advancement that would revolutionize communications and industry with the promise of highbandwidth and low latency connectivity. 5G was projected to have dramatic growth over the next decade being driven by the need for real-time data and video consumption.

Two years later, the promise of 5G is still evolving. Most of us have cell phones that show 5G bars, but we may only see improved performance in limited locations. Much of this is a result of 5G running on existing 4G network components, also known as 5G non-standalone (NSA) operation.

As carriers continue to activate additional 5G frequency bands and build out dedicated 5G network infrastructure, or 5G standalone (SA), we will see the speeds and latencies start to reach their advertised mark. In this paper, we will examine the benefits delivered by 5G, and the new technologies that are making it the best choice for the future.