Is 5G wiping out your data too fast? Here’s why that might be happening

The first thing you expect after upgrading to 5G is playing videos without having to wait for a split second, and connecting ton smart cars as well as devices in real-time. But what if all that comes to a screeching halt just minutes after the journey towards the high speed experience begins. That seems to be the case for several Indian smartphone users who have upgraded to 5G over the past month, since they are losing data in a short interval of time while testing high speed internet.

What’s the initial experience?

Several consumers took to social media to share screenshots of speed tests, and point out how 5G just wasnt up to the mark in some cities while in major metros such as Delhi, it was erratic. While Airtel’s service left users wanting in big cities, Jio wasn’t able to deliver in Varanasi according to other users.

But as people are trying to catch the right bandwidth to make the most of 5G, here’s why they may be losing more data to 5G as compared to 4G.

What does research say?

According to findings by telecom analytics firm Open Signal more than a year back, 5G users are likely to use 2.7 times more data than those who have 4G connections. The reason behind this is that thanks to low latency, more data flows through a channel in a particular amount of time, and hence people simply consume more data. Simply put high speed data gives more to users in less time and leads to higher usage in a shorter period, but it also costs more.

Lets get real

Now Airtel allowed people to enjoy 5G speed on existing 4G data plans, which means they are consuming the same amount of data but at a significantly higher speed.

In this case someone can watch more videos or download more files in a minute or hour with 5G, as compared to their consumption with 4G.

This is why it’s possible to ingest more data in a shorter time, and to spend more on data plans.

One can tackle this issue by going to settings in smartphones and using features such as data warnings or limits.

As for the erratic speed, higher data usage on a particular spectrum can cause congestion, and as telcos expand their 5G infrastructures across the country, the service will fall in place.