Why 2019 really will be the year of mobile...

It was only at the end of 2011 that Telstra announced ‘The fun has just begun’ when they launched Australia’s first 4G network, boasting download speeds 10 times faster than were previously available on 3G.  Check out the video for a little hit of nostalgia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj_gpPz3T2g

Over the next couple of years 4G became the standard. With it came a massive shift in the way people consumed many things, especially their media. In 2016, mobile overtook desktop in terms of internet usage and has since surged ahead.

It’s been a change that means we no longer think of ‘visiting’ the internet, it’s constantly around us, an unseen force working away in the background keeping us connected all the time.

Today we stand on the precipice of an even bigger game changer, with 5G networks already being trialled and rolled out. Last year trials on the Gold Coast achieved speeds of up to 3GB per second, around 60 times faster than the average 4G speed.

Let me put it another way, if you were to download the two-hour film Guardians of the Galaxy on 3G mobile back in 2011, it would have taken the entire flight time from Sydney to New York, approximately 21 hours.  On 4G mobile in 2013, it would take the time to run a mile approximately 6 minutes. On 5G it will download faster than you can say ‘is it downloaded yet?’.

In short, 5G is faster than most home broadband connections and that will mean even more changes to the way people consume content.

Verizon Media is part of one of the world’s biggest telecommunications companies and we’ve been thinking hard about what this will mean for the industry.

For consumers, it will mean a couple of things. Firstly, increased consumption on mobile devices because they will be able to access media more efficiently. With no latency, it means the type and the length of content consumed is likely to expand significantly, whilst live streaming, especially of sports games when people are out and about, will become more of a norm.  

Secondly, an increase in capacity brings with it an opportunity for consumers to do more with the Internet of Things. Smarter phones, smarter watches, smarter fridges, smarter toothbrushes and even smart toilets ...anyone?  As a family we love to ski, with technological advancements such as augmented reality (AR) the ability to integrate piste maps into your ski goggles will be a reality. You’ll never get lost on the slopes again and you’ll be able to see where your friends and family are… That inevitably means more data being generated, which will need to be carefully parsed.

Marketers will need to be mindful of not being perceived as creepy in the ways they utilise this data, whilst capitalising on the opportunity to make their products and services ever more relevant and useful. It’s a fine line to tread.

While it’s still early days for advertisers looking to capitalise on 5G, 2019 is likely to see plenty of experimentation. Early adopters may look to leverage richer experiences with AR for brand building or look to personalise content for voice-activated devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home. I’ve been enjoying live cricket over the summer, imagine being at a match where you hold up your phone and you’re able to click on players to get their previous form and the latest stats.  AR in particular could become a really interesting tool for marketers looking to add relevance, context or create a unique experience for their consumers.

And for media owners, it means continual investment in their delivery mechanisms to ensure the consumer expectation aligns with the marketing experience. Research shows people are impatient and more likely to click away if it takes more than three seconds for a mobile page to load today. What are their expectations going to be like after getting used to the instant gratification of 5G speeds?

Sites slowed down by endless advertising tracking scripts running in the background won’t be tolerated, although the increased speeds mean richer and more immersive ad units can also be served more efficiently. Working closely with our branded content team RYOT, we think we’ll see huge leaps in next generation content creation, it’s an opportunity to capture the imagination of creators.  And expect to see even more video, with the high-speed connection eliminating those annoying lag times.

It’s impossible to predict all of the changes in consumer behaviour near-instant connectivity will bring, but you need to start preparing for it now.

The fun is really just about to begin.

Paul Sigaloff, Managing Director, Verizon Media ANZ