3G must die so 5G can live


It’s time to say goodbye to 3G, the wireless technology that gave our phones near-instantaneous access to the web, and make way for its faster and flashier successor: 5G. “Operators are spending a lot of money for the spectrum, and they have to pass those costs on to the consumers. That’s why we pay a very high price for cellphone service,” explained Sundeep Rangan, associate director of NYU WIRELESS and member of the Center for Advanced Technology in Telecommunications (CATT). Once 3G is finally turned off, wireless providers can devote more resources to expanding their 5G networks.