One of the biggest advancements in connectivity is likely to gain a lot more steam this year as mobile carriers continue rollout of the networks that will support it. 5G has been “coming soon” since last year and is widely anticipated.
It promises to significantly improve the speed and experience of mobile connectivity, offer split second downloads of large files, and nearly eliminate latency that causes lag time.
Companies that take advantage of what 5G has to offer and can incorporate it into their overall IT strategy, will be positioned with a significant advantage.
When 4G was launched in 2010, it ended up changing a lot of the ways that smartphones were used. It greatly improved the ability to browse the web on mobile and made entertainment streaming on phones possible. It also gave rise to mobile apps that could do more things, including those used for business.
In short 4G enabled the mobile revolution that’s happened over the last decade, with smartphones taking over from desktops multiple online activities like shopping, banking, and web browsing.
63% of website visits are made from a mobile device.
5G promises that same type of behavior-altering changes that 4G brought us over the last 10 years. And although it’s still in the early stages at the moment, carriers are working to roll out nationwide 5G networks as fast as they can.
T-Mobile says they’re bringing 5G to 200,000 million Americans this year and Verizon’s 5G network is currently in about 34 cities with many more planned in 2020.
So, how is 5G going to impact your business and change the way you use mobile?
Ways 5G Will Change the Way We Work in the 2020s
Let’s first take a look at the features that 5G is bringing to mobile connectivity and then we’ll take a look at how that’s going to impact your business over the next several years.
There are three major improvements that 5G is making to your mobile connection, these are:
- Improved speed
- Reduced latency
- More capacity
When it comes to speed improvements, 5G is projected to improve data transfer rates from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps or higher, meaning speeds as much as 100x faster than current 4G connections.
A companion improvement to speed is lower latency, which equates to faster response times between your device and the site or app you’re accessing. Low latency is the improvement that’s making remote surgery possible.
Improved capacity comes from using more bandwidth channels, allowing more devices to connect to the same carrier signal without getting into a “traffic jam.” Initially, networks will see a choice of slower 5G at frequencies of 6GHz and below, and mmWave (much faster) that’s typically at frequencies of 25GHz+.
As 5G networks become available and both cell carriers and hardware manufacturers upgrade their infrastructure and devices to take full advantage of it, here are the changes you’ll see coming.
More Use of Remote Technologies
With fast speeds and low latency comes the ability to manipulate machinery from long distances. This means that an operator in another city could run a remote-controlled forklift that’s hundreds of miles away or a field technician could adjust sensor equipment without needing to go onsite.
With the barrier of response time gone, see more remote technologies being created to both improve safety and lower costs for travel and training.
Move to 5G Computers
Currently our devices are split into two different connection types. Our office desktops and devices are typically connected to the office wireless network, powered by an internet service provider’s cable, satellite, or DSL network. While mobile devices, when not at the office, are generally using a data plan from a mobile carrier to get online.
With 5G promising such extremely fast speeds, we’re going to see more computers introduced that take advantage of 5G offering more options for business owners in how they connect.
Lenovo introduced the world’s first 5G laptop at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show.
Transition to Virtual Desktops
One thing that’s held virtual desktops back from rolling out in a big way is that no one wants to deal with lag time when it comes to their computer workstation. Virtual desktops are housed in a cloud environment, allowing them to be accessed from anywhere, but they do need to be accessed via an internet connection.
Once connection speeds aren’t an issue, more companies will be transitioning to virtual desktop environments just as they’ve been increasingly adopting other cloud services for their workflows.
Video and AR Marketing Will Expand
If you walk down the aisle of a Walmart store, you can already see video advertisements playing on small screens for certain products. This is just an early iteration of how we are going to see marketing expand with the use of both video and augmented reality.
Imagine seeing a hologram video that shows how you could use an ingredient in a meal with a virtual button to click for instant ordering.
The speeds that 5G will allow, make it much easier to use interactive technologies like video and AR in a number of different ways (i.e. hand tracking for virtual interactions) without large file sizes or download buffering getting the way.
Is Your Technology Infrastructure Ready for the Future?
Are you ready to take advantage of the new technologies that will be coming your way in the near future? Genuine Technology Group’s CIO as a service ensures you have expert guidance setting up technical strategies that make sense for your business and have the help you need implementing them.
Contact us today to discuss how you can be ready to take advantage of 5G technology. Call 971-288-0880 or reach us online.