By Mick McNeil – Jargon such as “game-changer” and “paradigm shift” are often used in the technology industry to drive interest and excitement about the latest innovations.
This overuse of adjectives makes it difficult to identify when something comes along that genuinely makes a significant step-change, relative to all other innovations. However, 5G technology is just the sort of event that actually is a game-changer.
5G is less about high-speed connectivity and more about unleashing data and computing capability. With the ability to power future solutions such as autonomous cars, 5G technology can accelerate the growth of low-cost enabled Internet of Things (IoT) devices as it removes the need for computing power and storage to be housed in every device.
There’s a colossal opportunity, as with many advances in technology, for 5G to further accelerate business transformation – great news for enterprises that lean into the latest technologies to get ahead.
5G adoption at an enterprise level is the new competitive battleground
With new use cases enabled by 5G that didn’t exist before, enterprises who quickly adopt the new technology will find it driving increased revenues and profitability. Estimates are that, when combined, 5G applications will add up to $1,3-trillion to global GDP by 2030.
Healthcare is estimated to be one of the biggest beneficiaries, with 5G forecast to lead to better, faster outcomes in everything from lightning-fast drone delivery of emergency equipment to increased proactive health monitoring via wearables.
5G-powered smart utility management, meanwhile, will see more efficient energy use, better waste management, reduced water wastage and more.
Can your industry benefit from 5G? As digital transformation sweeps across the world’s businesses and economies, the answer is yes. The number of connected devices is expected to grow to 48-billion in the next two years as the IoT expands its already substantial reach.
Current speeds and latency issues hold back IoT devices. The combination of increased cloud adoption, 5G rollout and device growth creates a world of potential just waiting for businesses to take advantage of.
5G will become a fundamental part of businesses’ strategic plans moving forward, with the speed of adoption meaning that the time to start acting on it is now.
Harnessing the 5G opportunity
5G drives value as part of a digital transformation journey, with platforms like Microsoft acquiring capabilities to exploit this technology and adding their capital to the growing billions of dollars being invested in building out the networks.
Many of the use cases that will be pedestrian in a decade’s time are still only at the ideas stage now, the key is to be agile enough to exploit them when they develop.
Soon, the first 5G business networks will emerge. During the creation of these networks, it will become business-critical to partner with an innovative services provider that can enable your business to unlock the limitless potential that 5G holds.
The right provider can ensure success in harnessing the 5G opportunity due to decades of expertise, alongside a commitment to invest in the 5G market and its solutions.
In the future, these 5G capabilities and solutions will deliver speed, scale, and agility for global customers in every market. Modern network infrastructures based on 5G technologies will be the foundation of every digital business.
Organisations’ deployment and transformation to adopt modern network infrastructure over the next few years are critical for business resiliency and to gain a competitive edge.
Don’t get left behind.
Mick McNeil is the vice-president: business development at Logicalis Group