Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. And we’re off… Across the world, the race has begun to become the market leader in the game-changing 5G technology. When the klaxon sounds, will your company be one of the front runners?
5G: the next generation of mobile Internet connectivity
It’s all about speed, latency, and capacity.
Back in the 1980s, the first generation – 1G – network was introduced. An analogue platform, it was only capable of carrying your voice.
Fast forward a decade and 2G phones were launched. Entering the digital era meant consumers benefitted from new features, such as text and picture messaging.
After celebrating the dawn of the Millennium, we welcomed 3G with open arms; for the first time, we started to see smartphones with video calling and mobile data.
Most recently, we’ve been enjoying 4G; better supporting mobile Internet and higher speeds, our phones have become a necessity for life, whether video streaming and gaming for entertainment, or keeping us connected at work.
5G is an enabler for organisations
Allowing you to implement technology that needs huge bandwidth and speed, 5G is necessary for you to take full advantage of trends, such as the Internet of Things (IoT).
Increasingly, our world and all the objects in it connect to the internet. From our watches to smart meters, medical devices, refrigerators, cars – even doorbells. By connecting to the internet, these everyday devices gain a level of intelligence, which is designed to enhance, and simplify our lives.
You may think your world is pretty tech-savvy at the moment. But in the 5G economy, you can expect the imaginings of science-fiction to finally become our reality.
Intelligent transport systems
We’ve seen autonomous vehicles hitting the headlines, with pictures of Tesla owners asleep at the wheel while their car drives them to their destination. In the 5G economy, the networks can move huge volumes of data transmitted from autonomous vehicles, and also the telemetry systems that are monitoring the roads. It means self-driving cars will become more commonplace on our motorways.
Retail therapy
5G is going to turn the whole shopping experience on its head as augmented reality becomes more ingrained in our high street. Standing in the changing room, magic mirrors will suggest additional items to complete your outfit, connect to social media so you can ask for a friend’s opinion, and make the checkout process easier and more streamlined.
Medical excellence
In the future, 5G will enable surgeons to operate remotely, which will have a massive impact on our healthcare system. It means devices will be able to detect when patients are becoming unwell before they start experiencing any symptoms. And waiting times for doctors’ appointments and operations will be significantly reduced.
Ultimately, 5G will enable businesses to provide highly bespoke services that are tailored to suit different industries.
”Ultimately, 5G will enable businesses to provide highly bespoke services that are tailored to suit different industries.
Smart City
What 5G means in practice
INDUSTRY
Smart factories have a huge range of exciting opportunities to harness. Gate One has already driven some use cases forward, including the use of augmented reality to allow field technicians to communicate with experts, real-time, using headsets which superimpose directions and advice into the wearer’s vision.
SOCIETY
Security cameras will help to prevent crimes in rural areas where police resourcing is often limited, for instance, the dumping of hazardous waste, theft of crops or timber, and poaching. 5G will facilitate the managing of traffic alerts and construction projects, handling disaster responsiveness and public outreach, facilitating communication between driverless cars and local infrastructure, and much more.
HOME
Smart homes look promising already, but the idea of having them become part of a living network, where data about traffic patterns and weather systems, notifications from municipalities and utilities about the power supply and other public services, can be shared rapidly, and with more participants than ever, garners more excitement.
RETAIL
Magic mirrors’ can recognise the products someone tries on through an RFID tag. This can provide valuable information about the customer. A store could use this data to display personalised ads in real time, such as a necklace or pair of shoes that perfectly match a dress, and link up to social media.
HEALTHCARE
5G will allow doctors to perform a remote video consult or download a large lab file in seconds. Healthcare systems that are looking to futureproof or implement cutting-edge technologies rely on high speed and low latency IT networks to facilitate the rapid exchange of data or to allow clinicians to perform more detailed work from greater distances.
SECURITY
The connective power of 5G means a greater number of network endpoints, resulting in more possible opportunities through which an attacker may penetrate the network. Concerns over poorly regulated networks have been widely publicised. Regulation in this field is paramount for the success of the new network.
ENERGY
5G will allow huge improvements in energy efficiency and reducing the effects of climate change, and more control over our environment through efficient technology such as smart street lighting. We’ll benefit from connected devices and monitoring energy usage to a much more accurate degree. 5G will allow the remote monitoring of energy sites such as wind farms and solar farms.
MOBILITY
In the 5G economy, the networks can move huge volumes of data transmitted from autonomous vehicles, and also the telemetry systems that are monitoring the roads. It means self-driving cars will become more commonplace on our motorways.
Making strategy happen
The introduction of 5G networks to our infrastructure is going to see massive changes to the way we live and work. And it presents an incredible opportunity to drive productivity in your organisation.
As an award-winning specialist digital and business transformation consultancy, helping our clients to implement pragmatic and sustainable change is an every day activity. But unlike other consultancies, who might be ‘talking a good game’, we’ve actually played it.
Working with a consortium of partners, we’ve helped to roll out a testbed of 5G technology for use in commercial environments. We were there at the beginning when the first ‘landmark step’ took place towards the creation of smart factories in Britain. And already, we’ve helped today’s innovators to realise the benefits that 5G has to offer, articulating their desires, delivering the vision, and putting their strategy into action.
It all starts with an idea
We want to help you think about how you’re going to benefit from the 5G revolution. It’s getting nearer, and you want to be ready to take full advantage when the time comes.
With a vision of where your organisation is heading, the first step is selecting the design criteria by which you will measure success. We can then help you run an initial pilot, reviewing the outcomes and lessons learned. Once we prove its worth to your organisation, we can help you understand the ultimate value proposition for your future and map out the benefits your business is targeting.
Then moving from the experimentation phase, through to your business transformation, we’ll be there to support you in implementing the necessary changes that will see you realise that true value.
If you want to embrace the 5G revolution contact our team and we’ll talk to you about how the new 5G economy will deliver efficiency and productivity savings which will enable your business to flourish.
