Why we shouldn't all be hypnotised by the 6G hype

WHEN 5G first arrived, it was hailed as the technology that would reinvent our lives. We were told to imagine remote surgery performed across continents, cars driving themselves on city streets, and factories humming with robotic precision, all powered by near-instantaneous connections.

- LUVO GREY

In South Africa, headlines celebrated Vodacom and MTN switching on their first towers in 2020, and the excitement was infectious. This was meant to be more than just faster downloads, it was the dawn of a new digital era. Five years later, the revolution still hasn't shown up. The 5G bars on our phones rarely translate into transformative experiences.

In reality, the technology has been more evolutionary than revolutionary. The hype ran ahead of the reality.

Why 5G Fell Short

Part of the problem lies in the infrastructure. Most of the world, including South Africa, still runs on what's called Non-Standalone 5G, in simple terms, a 5G layer sitting on top of old 4G networks. The real breakthroughs, such as network slicing (dedicated “slices” of the network for hospitals, factories, or even a football stadium on match day), remain largely absent because they require full 5G Standalone networks.

The other problem is cost. 5G doesn’t run on a handful of giant towers like 2G and 3G did. It requires a dense forest of base stations, particularly at high frequencies, and each one costs money to install, power, and maintain. Globally, it’s estimated that $275 billion needs to be poured into 5G infrastructure.

For South African operators still recovering from spectrum auctions and economic slowdown, the business case for blanketing rural areas or townships with 5G is weak. Simply put, the returns don't justify the investment.

Spectrum: The Invisible Battleground

Behind the buzzwords lies the quiet politics of spectrum, the invisible airwaves our devices depend on. Spectrum isn’t bought and sold at whim; it is managed through painstaking negotiations under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and decided at the World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs).