5G's Impact on Businesses

 

Written by Abubakar Mikail

5G technology, when first introduced in 2015, was defined as the “next generation of mobile connectivity technologies that support mobile broadband as well as networking of billions of devices”. Since then, as research and development work matured, so has the definition of 5G technology. In 2020, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) described 5G as a set of mobile networks and services that “connects people, things, data, applications, transport systems and cities in smart grid communication environments. The adoption of 5G technology will bring a range of exciting benefits for both consumers and businesses. These include faster connection speeds, increased reliability, decreased latency, and higher device capacity. Mobile networks are not unlimited, and can only handle a certain amount of devices and data transmissions simultaneously. As businesses use more devices to transfer more data, the 4G network is not always able to handle these increases.

While 5G technology has a wide range of consumer-focused uses such as smart homes, smart cities, and autonomous cars, there are also many uses of 5G for businesses. These include virtual or augmented reality, smart factories, and machine-to-machine communications. Augmented and virtual reality have the potential for use in multiple industries, including manufacturing, gaming, media, automotive, and healthcare. Gartner defines a smart factory as “a concept used to describe the application of different combinations of modern technologies to create a hyper-flexible, self-adapting manufacturing capability.

Making remote work possible

With the advent of 5G wireless, people no longer have to be tied down by a mandatory location. With high-speed internet available anywhere, people have the freedom to live anywhere they wish. IAs carriers upgrade the network, people living in rural areas and other broadband dead zones will gain access to high-speed internet. This will significantly help the local economy connect more populations that have traditionally been isolated due to lack of access to fibre optics that would allow them to connect to more populated areas.

Improving the Performance of Apps

5G already provides substantial improvements over its predecessors in predictability, which translates into reliable application performance for business users; as cellular networks increase bandwidth and enhance the quality and quantity of content delivered to mobile devices - such as smartphones or tablets - 5G benefits will be even more evident for a more user-friendly experience.

Also read: How To Stay Secure In This Digital Age

Using AI and Automation to Enable New Innovations

Many companies like Amazon, through Amazon Web Services (AWS), have begun using new automation and artificial intelligence technologies that depend on faster download speeds.

As businesses prepare for the future and modernize 5G, lower latency and faster speeds will be difficult to ignore, especially when combined with automation.

Autonomous Vehicles

The automotive industry is poised to experience significant changes in the future with connected and autonomous vehicles—including driverless cars on 5G networks.

With the advent of 5G technology, we will see a new wave of business models. The faster response time is made possible by low-latency data streams means businesses can deploy more complex applications and get back to their customers faster.

A US-based startup, Movandi, developed 5G ecosystems for connected vehicles. All 5G mmWave bands are supported by the company's integrated antenna modules and radio-frequency chips. Movandi's algorithms and systems enhance signal coverage while eliminating self-interference.

Quality Control

Logistics company Ice Mobility is working with Microsoft and Verizon to test their in-house wireless platform and improve their current quality control processes.

The company implemented a new computer vision-based quality control system with this partnership. The high-definition cameras above every one of their pick lines allow them to see what is happening on the line, which enables them to keep better track of inventory. This is possible by using 5G and a Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) solution to gather real-time data on product packing errors.

Conclusion

However, as with all technologies, 5G technology does have its challenges. These include cost, integration with legacy technology, security risks, and scarcity of radio spectrum. At the moment, many IoT devices use LTE, (Long Term Evolution) is a term used for a particular type of 4G that delivers a fast mobile Internet experience. Many businesses will continue to use LTE devices even once 5G IoT devices become more prevalent. It is, therefore, important that these two types of IoT technology can integrate. Network security is a major challenge to widespread 5G technology adoption.

Hey reader, did you enjoy this beautiful piece? If you did, kindly like, comment and share with your loved ones, thank you ❤