A fully deployed 5G network will be able to support a much higher device density. Up to a million devices per sq km. Basically an antenna on every block and they will be able to connect every IoS device and scatter around a bunch of sensor, and still have some bandwidth left.

> There have been devices using 3G for years. It is very cheap and the infrastructure is pretty much everywhere. --- My Resmed CPAP machine came with a cellular tattletale. It was a separate module with a cable to the mainboard. I unplugged it. The DME provider got all pissy about it, but I just ignored them.

I'm guessing the main reason it was a separate circuit board was so they could install a compatible cellular module depending on what country it was to be shipped to.

5g deployment is going to be cheap enough for manufacturers to buy bandwidth and cut the consumer out of the decision entirely. They’ll get the user data for the cost of buying the bandwidth. And it’ll become a de-facto standard you won’t be able to buy a device without it.

In the "5G" bundle of technologies, one of the things was specific features for connecting larger numbers of low power devices very cheaply. Think almost every >$20 gadget in your home having its own GSM modem.

Depends on where you are, but 3G's being deprecated.