The “need” for 5G might be more FOMO than anything else:
Led by Ericsson, mobile traffic forecasts are looking suspect.
5G is useful tech for adding capacity to mobile networks but it is not the life (or profit) altering thing telcos wanted to believe it would be.
Next up for useful technologies that won’t be nearly as life altering as proponents are hyping it up to be AI…
I often force my phone to use LTE. It’s faster over there.
I don’t usually resort to turning off 5G. I do, however, find LTE, particularly LTE+, coverage to be more than adequate for data speeds on my phone when out and about.
I would say, depending on network and location, 5G has reduced congestion and, therefore, is a net benefit for consumers. But, we’ll be waiting a while before surgery is performed remotely over 5G (yes, that’s been pitched as a real example of what might be done with 5G technology). 