Re: What evfect will 5G have on 4G?

On 5/23/2024 12:51 AM, micky wrote:

 Since 5G cells are smaller than prior cells, 4G and earlier, when 5G is
well-established, won't they still have to keep 4G to reach into the
unpopulated woods, mountains, and deserts as far as cellular signals go
now?
 Surely they don't plan to build even more 5G cell towers in unpopoulated
areas where it hasn't been worth it to build a smallar number of 4G
towers.
 

    With urban cellphone users living on their cellphones it's
easy to be unaware that much of the US has no cellphone
access. I have a brother who's never had cellphone access
at home and currently has to use one of Musk's satellite
dishes for Internet. He doesn't live in the middle of the
woods. But it is 100 yds to 1/4 mile between houses, and
no one subsidizes towers. Verizon's not going to pay the
costs to get a handful of new customers.
    At the other extreme, I have a friend who lives in
a brick apt building built in the 1920s. The walls are mortar
and metal lath. He often misses or loses the signal if he's
not close to a window.
   There's a cabin I sometimes stay in that has electricity
and phone... even nearby wifi... but no chance of cellphone
connection.
   Cellphones are still officially optional, even if not in practice.
In rural areas, landlines are strung with electricity to virtually
every house. But cell towers are only installed if they provide
maximum profit. In Europe and in cities that's not so obvious.
But if you take a ride out to the country, in the US or Canada,
you're in a different world. (Not just unpopulated, deep woods.
Anyplace with low population density is left out.)
   I don't see any reason to think that that 1/4 to 1/3 of the
  land mass is going to get cellphone service. (Regardless of what
Verizon and AT&T maps claim.)