[lukec11]

There's a common misconception that 5G specifically means you need to use millimeter wave (very high-band) networks. 5G can be on the same frequency as 4G, and it is more efficient than 4G - so with greater efficiency, it's easier to get usable output from that signal than with 4G. The signals will go "as far" regardless of 3G/4G/5G assuming they're broadcasted at the same frequency and power level, but the device being able to use it is a different story.

The reason 2G and 3G can sometimes reach further than LTE is for a similar reason - because it's easier to "hang onto" a 2/3G signal. The reason it's easier though is different - not because 3G is more efficient, but because it's less complex. This reddit thread[0] explains it better than I can, so I'll paste a comment from it here:

>>> The modulation scheme (how the digital "data" is packed into the "analog" wave to transmit it over the air) is simpler for [2G], which requires a lower wave quality to decode. It's the same reason you are more likely to get an [2G] signal farther away than LTE

Note that the reason 3G might be "faster" is probably due more to the congestion issue I talked about before - when the LTE network is oversubscribed, meaning too many people are connected to it and are slowing it down, sometimes dropping back to 3G (which very few people are connected to in 2021) can lead to you fighting less over your data.

[0] https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/comments/lwwkrl/when_was_th...

[fomine3]

But how much is 5G faster than LTE in same frequency usage? Higher QAM would improve throughput but only on great place near the station.

[Foivos]

Better beamforming means that at the same distance from the BS you have better signal quality, so you can use higher QAM.