POP-UP EVERYTHING: How pop-up popped-up in our lives, and why it is now here to stay

In recent times, we have seen levels of displacement and disruption to life like never before. According to the United Nations, 4 million people have left Ukraine since the outbreak of the war, the most in a single year since World War II. The 2015 migrant crisis saw 1.3 million displaced by war from Syria and the 2020 Covid pandemic saw schools closing their doors, turning bedrooms into classrooms for 10.9 million pupils in Germany alone. Political instability, the Covid pandemic, climate change and challenging economic environments have disrupted supply chains and upended entire communities.

In this ever-changing environment, people and governments have had to adapt and come up with solutions sometimes at very short notice, giving birth to the concept of pop-up everything. Usually when we think of pop-up, we imagine a time limited shop where you can buy the latest fashion or a fancy burger. But during the pandemic we saw governments building pop-up hospitals overnight, and employers sending their staff pop-up office kits with monitors, keyboards and even office furniture.

During the refugee crises, governments, NGOs, and the private sector came together to build pop-up medical facilities and pop-up schools. One example that is close to my heart is the work The Vodafone Foundation has done in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya where volunteers deployed pop-up Instant Network Schools, empowering teachers to continue teaching and students to continue learning even in very difficult conditions. There are currently 36 Instant Network Schools in 6 African Countries, allowing over 86,000 refugee students to access education.

The concept of pop-up everything is necessary because circumstances will continue to change, and we need to have the ability to provide any service to anybody anywhere in the world. This is only possible thanks to technological advancements such as 5G. 4G and Fibre services have been essential in enabling the delivery of pop-up services at short notice, but both technologies have limitations. With lower latency, greater speeds, and increased security, 5G will open possibilities we can't even imagine. For example, according to the GSMA, 5G is expected to support up to 1 million connected devices per 1 square km, compared to around 2,000 connected devices per 1 square km with 4G (that is 500 times more). Can you imagine the impact this could have in a refugee camp or in an overcrowded hospital, school or Covid testing centre?

Pop-up can help us overcome challenges, but it also brings opportunities. Using the pop-up concept, we can dramatically increase the reach of service providers to underserved areas or where there are demand spikes, helping businesses and communities effectively utilise resources when and where they are needed rather than invest in permanent spaces designed for peak loads. Pop-up facilities, using fast connectivity and Edge Computing, will help us decide in near real-time where to use our resources prudently and without waste in a world where efficiency is critical.?

The telecoms industry is essential in developing the new generation of connectivity services. Nick Read summarized it succinctly by stating that Telecom is the sector that enables all other sectors to participate in the Gigabit economy, including the increasingly critical pop-up services economy.

We should embrace pop-up services as a common way of operating in an ever-changing landscape where shifts can be both positive and adverse. Pop-up should be viewed as a normal way to teach, to earn our wages, to get tested for diseases and get vital treatments, to connect with loved ones. In short, pop-up is becoming a normal way of life, so having the technology to empower and make it sustainable is vital.?