Why should 5G mean anything to anyone?

2019 is shaping up to be the year when the rollout of 5G networks really starts to take off. The telecoms industry is jam-packed with the latest news, whether it’s about new devices making their debut, the intricacies of how the technology will work, or which operators are getting ready for lift-off (full disclosure: my company is one of them).

But while all the talk of capacities, latencies, frequencies and gigabytes is fine if you work on the inside, what if you are a customer, most likely going about your daily business with a relatively new smartphone in your pocket, and doing just fine with that? Why should 5G mean anything to you?

The reason I ask is because you shouldn’t need a degree in computer science to understand why companies like mine are spending a lot of money to give you – what exactly? And I confess that in the tech industry we sometimes fall short here.

It’s our job to understand all of the technical details so we do things properly and, for some of us, it’s also a source of great enjoyment. I mean, there is nothing I like more than a full and frank discussion about getting the right angle on a mast to maximize signal, or how to increase smartphone data efficiency.

But not everyone gets their kicks from this level of geekery. And, to quote something that Steve Jobs apparently said many times, “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back to the technology”.

So, let’s take a look at 5G from that angle, and hopefully take some of the “So what?” out of it, if you’re not a convert already.

1. Closing the geographic digital divide

Everyone lives and works in towns and cities, right? You could be forgiven for thinking this if you read the national news, watch a lot of TV (unless it’s Scandi noir), or want a pizza at 2.00am. Of course, it’s not true. In Switzerland, for example, where I live, more than a quarter of the population and more than a fifth of the country’s jobs are based in the mountain areas.

Yes, it’s important that 5G will be able to cope with many, many more people connecting at the same time – even when lots of network-squeezing activity like movie streaming and gaming is going on. And with mobile data traffic doubling every 12 to 17 months, this is going to take on even more significance as the Big Tech firms gear themselves up to see who can become the Netflix of video games. So 5G is ideal for city centers and other places where big groups gather, such as sporting events, music festivals or large work campuses.

However, it can also deliver the fastest Internet speeds ‘over the air’ to homes and workplaces that don’t have access to a fixed cable solution. And while 4G is perfectly good for most of the things we need to do today, 5G will supplement it further and make mobile networks much more flexible, meaning they can reach places they couldn’t before.

2. A next-generation time saver

It seems that ‘waiting for a download’ has become the modern equivalent of ‘watching paint dry’ in terms of thinking about how our time could be spent more productively. And who isn’t too busy these days?

The good news is that 5G is going to make a lot of the things we already do on our mobile devices even quicker, saving us more of that most precious resource: our time. The Wall Street Journal has a cool little simulation that shows you how quickly various things like downloading a playlist from Spotify will take on 5G, compared to 4G and 3G. Be warned: the playlist is still “downloading” on 3G as I type…

There are also numerous benefits for businesses. With 5G’s phenomenal speed and ability to handle a vast array of high-demand applications at the same time, this will enable companies of all sizes to become more efficient through the instantaneous exchange of data – and potentially expand their capabilities too. Maturing industries like the connected car will be pushed into the mainstream while entirely new ones emerge, creating fresh ecosystems and business opportunities along the way.

3. Good for society

We should remember that when businesses prosper, people do too. As consumers, we will benefit from the companies who serve us capitalizing on 5G, whether that means faster deliveries, shorter wait times, quicker responses, new services that were not previously possible, or a broader range of solutions to choose from.

The ripple effect of these changes will also be felt in our wider societies. According to a study by Qualcomm, 5G could be behind up to $12.3 trillion worth of goods and services by 2035, boosting global GDP growth and supporting as many as 22 million jobs.

Then there is the impact on our most critical public services, like healthcare, the police and our emergency services. Just imagine the difference that real-time, remote diagnosis, patient monitoring and even surgery could make to survival rates. Or how live-streamed CCTV footage and instant access to offender information could help the police to tackle crime more effectively.

Of course, you would expect me to tell you all the good things that are going to come with 5G. But I am convinced that the opportunity it presents – for businesses, for societies and for people – is beyond anything we have seen before. That is why my company is investing not just in the technology, but in growth as an entire organization, to bring it to Switzerland. Watch this space.

Photo credit: Shutterstock