So 5G can change our lives

5G is the name of the next generation of mobile networks, and from 2020 it will start to be launched in Sweden as well according to the plans.

But in China, 5G networks are already up and running. There, among other things, the telecom giant Huawei, together with medical researchers this year, has already performed several operations via 5G, where surgeons operated both animals and people remotely. In one of the trials, electrodes were operated into the brain of a Parkinson's Pekingbo in the summer. The surgeon who operated was located 3,000 kilometers away from the patient.

So it's not just because it will be faster to watch videos and play games on mobiles and tablets as the operators are now preparing a new generation of mobile networks.

What enables new applications when 5G is started is that data transfers will start immediately. Thus, the network connection will not "lag". The speed of data transmission itself is also 20 times faster than today's mobile internet speed.

For example, for self-driving cars to be able to communicate sufficiently lightning fast enough with each other and road sensors - without a toughness in the network to lead to a crash - a functioning 5G network is necessary.

"If you look at future features like self-driving cars and remote surgery, today's internet is not safe, but with 5G everything is changing," says Joe Kelly, global communications manager at Huawei in Shenzhen, southern China.

- 5G also enables automated smart cities, he continues.

What is often meant by smart cities is that more and more can be managed automatically. It's not just about traffic. Trash cans should be able to order emptying when they are full, which is one of the things that is already being tested today in China.

"Much of what needs to be connected is sensors in the form of cameras, there is a lot of data to be collected," says Ericsson's head of research Magnus Frodigh.

- That things become automated is what you will notice. There will be quite a lot of robots in the city performing tasks and getting information from the digital infrastructure, he continues.

Another thing is the speed of information transfer which opens up for quick extra information.

- I think we will have new types of phones, we will have connected glasses that can show us information. You will experience things in a mix of the real world and this digital world, says Magnus Frodigh.

But the fact that 5G networks are so central to everything from traffic to information also means that a discussion about security has started, about how security must increase in 5G networks. The Swedish government is preparing a law change to increase 5G security and several authorities have warned of the risk that the network could be intercepted or hacked and shut down.

More about 5G in the Science World program 5G - the super tech that scares , 14/10 at 8 pm on SVT2 or on SVT Play from 13/10.