Running 5G Speed Tests Could Eat All Your Data in Seconds: Here’s How

If you happen to latch on to a 5G network, the very first thing you would do is test the download/upload speeds, right? While the improved download and upload speeds of a 5G network might give you bragging rights, it will also gobble your daily data cap in just a few seconds.

This applies to Airtel users. As of now, Airtel is not charging anything extra for 5G connectivity. Say you have a 4G-data pack with a 2GB cap per day, the same will be counted against the 5G network. This means, there is no need to recharge any special plans to use the 5G network on your smartphone using an Airtel SIM card, and all that is needed is an eligible 5G smartphone.

While 5G brings in a higher data transfer rate with low latency, you will also end up consuming data at a much faster rate. When your phone latches to the Airtel 5G network with an excellent signal strength of around 1000MB/s. Running a speed test benchmark twice could completely consume your daily data cap, that too in less than a few seconds.

The situation is slightly better when it comes to the Jio network. Unlike Airtel, Jio is offering free unlimited 5G data for those who have registered for beta trials under Jio 5G Welcome Offer with 1Gbps+ download speed. This will allow users to fully test the 5G's capabilities by streaming or downloading high-bandwidth content.

This indicates that companies like Airtel and Jio are expected to introduce 5G plans with higher data caps in the coming days, which are expected to be slightly more expensive than the current 4G data plans. Hence, a user has to spend more money to get access to the faster wireless internet service in India.

5G Consumes More Power

A major disadvantage of the 5G network is power consumption. Continued usage of the 5G network can take a toll on the battery life of your smartphone. Not just that, during 5G usage, the phone is also likely to get warm due to the higher data transfer rates and excess battery consumption.

While the 5G network brings many advantages to the table, it also has a good number of flaws. Given the advertised download speeds of 5G, it is expected to be a game-changer technology, especially in crowded places like stadiums and airports.