When you watch a video on your phone and the image freezes during playback, the problem rarely lies with the device. It’s the mobile network, its capacity and speed, that determine the smoothness of the experience. The 5G technology precisely changes this parameter, but not just by increasing the speed. It fundamentally alters how data flows between antennas and connected devices.
5G Standalone and 5G Non-Standalone: a distinction that operators do not explain
Most 5G plans sold in France rely on a so-called Non-Standalone (NSA) architecture. The phone connects to a 5G antenna for speed, but the core of the network remains that of 4G. The advanced features of 5G (network slicing, ultra-low latency at scale) are not active in this configuration.
The 5G Standalone (SA) uses a fully 5G core network. It enables the most ambitious uses: remote control of industrial equipment, assisted surgery, management of fleets of autonomous vehicles. In Europe, 5G Standalone is still very sparsely deployed despite a high overall 5G coverage.
Understanding 5G technology and its differences from previous networks starts with this distinction. Without 5G SA, much of the promises remain theoretical.
5G Frequencies and Millimeter Bands: why range changes everything
2G and 3G networks used low frequencies (around 900 MHz), capable of penetrating walls and covering large areas with few antennas. 4G expanded the spectrum to higher frequencies to increase speed.
5G takes this logic further by utilizing three frequency ranges:
- Low bands (700 MHz), which offer extensive coverage comparable to 4G but with a moderate speed gain.
- Mid bands (around 3.5 GHz), which form the core of the current 5G deployment in France with a good compromise between speed and range.
- Millimeter bands (26 GHz and beyond), capable of very high speeds but whose signal reaches only a few hundred meters and poorly penetrates obstacles.
The higher the frequency, the greater the speed, but the shorter the range. This is why 5G deployment requires more antennas and sites than previous generations, especially for millimeter bands.
Phasing out 2G and 3G networks: 5G is no longer an option
You may still be using an old device or a connected object (alarm, meter, agricultural sensor) that operates on the 2G or 3G network. These networks are undergoing a planned phase-out in France. Operators are gradually shutting down these infrastructures to free up frequencies and reallocate them to 4G and 5G.
5G is becoming, alongside 4G, the main platform for digital mobility. This regulated shift means that some equipment will need to be replaced, and M2M (machine-to-machine) uses historically supported by 2G are migrating to technologies like NB-IoT, integrated into 5G specifications.
This phase-out distinguishes the current transition from previous ones. The transition from 3G to 4G did not involve network shutdowns. Today, the migration to 5G comes with a calendar constraint that businesses and communities must anticipate.
Energy consumption and environmental impact of 5G
5G antennas consume more energy per site than 4G antennas, mainly due to the higher number of radiating elements (massive MIMO antennas). In return, 5G carries much more data per watt consumed.
The environmental impact is not limited to antennas. The renewal of devices (5G-compatible smartphones), the manufacturing of new network equipment, and the densification of sites contribute to the overall carbon footprint of the deployment.
The energy balance of 5G depends on the volume of data transmitted. If traffic increases massively (4K video, connected objects, industrial applications), efficiency per gigabyte improves. If the network is underutilized in certain areas, the additional consumption of antennas weighs without compensation.
What 5G changes concretely compared to 4G in daily life
For everyday use (web browsing, video streaming, social networks), the difference between 4G and 5G remains modest in areas well covered by 4G. The gain is mainly felt in very crowded places: train stations, stadiums, dense city centers. 5G manages the simultaneous concentration of thousands of devices on the same cell better.
The network response time (latency) also decreases, benefiting online gaming, video calls, and augmented reality applications. In 4G, typical latency hovers around a few tens of milliseconds. 5G aims for latency below ten milliseconds, and 5G Standalone can go even lower in dedicated configurations.
5G technology does not abruptly replace 4G. It coexists with it, complements it in dense areas, and paves the way for uses that do not yet exist on a large scale.
The real shift will occur when 5G Standalone is widely accessible, when 2G and 3G networks have disappeared, and when industrial applications justify investment in millimeter bands. Until then, 5G remains a network under construction, more promising in its architecture than in the experience it currently offers to the majority of users.
