If you are thinking to pick up a phone in 2021, the first thing that comes to your mind is a 5G phone. But the question is whether it is the right time to pick up a 5G phone at the moment.
 Ever since Mukesh Ambani announced to bring 5G in the second half of 2021, there has been a lot of buzz in the market about 5G phones.
In recent days, cheap 5G phones are knocking on the market in large quantities. Especially this year even lower prices 5G phones are about to step into the market.
So, you would definitely have a fuzz about buying a 5G phone
As you know, any mobile network operates at a radio frequency that we call a spectrum.
4G networks in India could run on multiple spectrums including the 800, 900, 1800, 1900, 2300, and 2700 MHz and these spectrum bands were already available in India and are used by the network operators for 2G and 3G networks.
Similarly, for 5G also 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has determined the spectrum, but so far there has not been an auction of spectrum for 5G in India, or rather the spectrum has not been determined.
3GPP initially set the standards for 5G in 2017. But when 5G was first commercially launched in the year 2019, 5G NR was being introduced.
5G NR typically uses two types of frequency range. Frequency Range 1 and the Frequency Range 2
While the 5G NR FR1 works at sub-6 GHz i.e., 6,000 MHz or below. That is, by upgrading 5G at the frequency bands which are currently using for 2G, 3G, or 4G in India.
The 5G NR FR2 is a high-frequency band and also known as millimeter web, it is a very powerful radio frequency with web length ranging from 10 to 1 millimeter.
Which uses a 24–100GHz frequency range for 5G.
The standard for the 5G has been set at a universal level and many countries have started the 5G NR as per their convenience, countries like the UK have already launched their spectrum back in 2019 but in India, at present, it is not known which standard will be used for 5G. it is yet to auction the FR1 or FR2 Spectrum.
So, if you are planning to get a cheap 5G phone, and thinking of squeezing in the 5G sim then you may be at loss.
Just like how people faced issues at the time of 4G.
People who had taken 4G LTE phones faced a lot of problems due to the arrival of VoLTE networks and those latest phones still become useless as they could not accommodate the 4GNR.
The same might happen if you get a 5G phone as the spectrum is undecided.
So, the best is to wait for a while as you might be in for a 5G treat soon.
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