People are just realizing what the 'G' in 5G stands for
Think you know what the 'G' in 5G stands for? You're probably wrong. While most cellphone users don’t spend much time questioning the tech jargon behind their data speeds, there's a widespread misconception about that one letter. Many assume 'G' stands for 'gigabyte' — and while that’s technically true for 10G, it’s not the case for 3G, 4G, or 5G. Adding to the confusion, each 'G' doesn’t even mean the same thing. A quick scroll through social media reveals just how many people are getting it wrong.
But the 'G' in 3G, 4G — and of course, 5G — actually stands for 'generation'. It refers to the evolution of wireless technology, with each new generation offering faster and more reliable data connections. In simple terms, 5G is the fifth generation of mobile networks — and yes, it's faster than the versions before it. A recent post on X (formerly Twitter) by MTN Uganda, the country’s largest telecom provider, posed a question to users: 'Without Googling, what does the “G” in 4G and 5G stand for? A) Generation B) Gigabyte C) Google D) Grid.' Many users were quick to answer — and just as quickly got it wrong, with 'gigabyte' being a common (and incorrect) guess.
Others offered their own guesses including 'generator', 'God' and 'greed'. 5G wireless is now commonly used for smartphones and is better than the other generations at connecting to multiple devices at once. But - adding another convoluted layer - 10G is not necessarily faster than 5G.
This is because the two Gs represent different concepts and therefore are not evenly comparable. The evolution of the G system started in 1980 with the invention of the mobile phone which allowed for analogue data to be transmitted via phone calls. Digital came into play in 1991 with 2G and SMS and MMS capabilities were launched. Since then, the capabilities and carrying capacity for the mobile network has increased massively.
More data can be transferred from one point to another via the mobile network quicker than ever. 5G debuted in South Korea in April 2019. During the Covid pandemic, US researchers investigated the effects of radio-frequency radiation generated by the ultra-fast mobile internet and revealed that it had negligible health impacts. The study came after several 5G masts were vandalized during lockdowns following unfounded conspiracy theories saying the form of wireless communication caused Covid.
Theorists claimed the fifth-generation wireless standard emitted radiation that lowers the immune system. Despite providing essential communications technology during the pandemic, 5G masts were subject to arson attacks throughout the UK. In their research paper, published in PLOS ONE, the team wrote that the potential for health effects from higher radio-frequency radiation should be examined as concerns 'over their potential health impacts are ongoing'.
To learn more, researchers conducted experiments using embryonic zebrafish, an organism often used to discover interactions between potential environmental stressors and biological systems. Around 70 percent of human genes are found in zebrafish, according to scientists, which makes them well suited as lab models. Zebrafish and humans have similar developmental processes and are similar on a genomic level, meaning the results of experiments on them can be confidently applied to humans.
Dr Dasgupta and his colleagues exposed embryonic zebrafish for two days to 3.5 GHz radio-frequency radiation – the frequency typically used by 5G-enabled phones. The zebrafish embryos were placed on plates, which were put inside a box made of copper dubbed 'the exposure chamber'. The radiation entered the box through an antennae and the copper kept the radiation from escaping. The experts found no significant impacts on mortality, how the embryos formed or their behavioral response to light.
