The big difference is that it operates in a license-exempt frequency band, at transmission powers orders of magnitude less than regular cellular networks. Anyone can deploy a wifi network for a few bucks; you have to invest many millions to roll out your own 5G network.
> you have to invest many millions to roll out your own 5G network.
That's not actually true. You can get a private 5G network from AWS for just $4000 a month ( https://aws.amazon.com/private5g/pricing/ ). It operates in the unlicensed band.
You can also buy a local frequency license for your campus. They can be surprisingly cheap, around $500 a month.
This is out of range for home users, but very attractive for some large industrial customers who want to add reliable connectivity for large warehouses or factories. Mostly because WiFi reliability sucks in many environments, and it's not getting better.
