What is 5G?
The age of 5G is upon us, and yet even as mobile companies race to build the biggest and most efficient 5G network, many people still do not know precisely what 5G means. Despite what you may have heard, 5G simply represents the fifth generation of wireless communication technology. It uses low, mid, and high band wavelengths to send and receive wireless information across multiple devices at previously unachievable, supercharged speeds.
This means that large chunks of data can be sent over mobile networks at unprecedented rates with super-low latency, making that transfer more efficient and reliable than ever. Cisco predicts that by 2022, “5G connections will represent over 3% of total mobile connections (more than 422 million global 5G devices…) and will account for nearly 12% of global mobile data traffic.”
So, how fast is 5G?
Once fully implemented, standalone 5G could reach gigabit-plus speeds, expecting 500-1500 Mbps on average. To paint a simple picture, this means that a full Netflix movie could take as little as seconds to download onto your device rather than hours. According to our favorite scientist, Bill Nye the Science Guy, “just as 3G brought email to our phones, and 4G for things like ride-share apps and streaming video, 5G might one day give us driverless cars, or drones that control their own drones.” In a world that requires quick thinking and even quicker solutions, “instant” is about to become even faster.
How Will 5G Affect Your Business?
Netflix, smartphones, and everyday mobile consumers aside, let’s get down to business, as in, how 5G will affect YOUR business. As with all emerging and evolving technology, companies need to be ready to adapt to a marketplace that, within a few years, will operate at unparalleled efficiency.
According to Forbes, mobile networks may soon replace wired networks, allowing businesses to “set up satellite offices in previously unreachable locations.” Working on the go will soon be a productive option instead of a hassle, which is especially relevant in the post-COVID-19 world, where remote work has become the norm instead of the exception.
Here are 7 more significant ways that 5G will impact your everyday business operations:
1. Lightning Speed
As previously mentioned, the highly anticipated, talked about, and selling point of 5G networks is the pure speed at which business technology will be able to operate. With up to1500 Mbps becoming a wireless possibility, your business will be able to communicate with employees, clients, and consumers quicker and more efficiently than ever before, netting results, solutions, and data instantaneously.
2. Maximum Bandwidth
Higher bandwidth means that an extremely high volume of devices will be able to connect to your network at once, enabling companies to operate at high efficient speeds without bogging down the system or servers. With every employee, customer, or client able to utilize 5G networks instantaneously and simultaneously, you can spend more time on your goals than trying to figure out who’s rewatching Stranger Things and dragging down your office’s wifi speeds.
3. Instant Response
Latency, or the amount of time it takes for connected devices to make a request from the server and to get a response, will become “virtually zero,” according to CNN Business. Virtual business meetings, data-sharing presentations, autonomous vehicles, and smart-tools will be able to operate with maximum efficiency, pinpoint accuracy, and instantaneous response-rates, even when remotely connected or controlled.
4. Cloud Storage & Computing
Paired with 5G connectivity, cloud storage, and computing is about to become even more powerful and efficient than ever before, solidifying cloud-based computing as an invaluable tool. With low latency, businesses will be able to instantly request and access data, allow employees to operate from anywhere in the world, and safely secure and backup data without having to purchase expensive equipment and servers.
5. Automation and Artificial Intelligence
Despite our fears of a robot takeover, automation and artificial intelligence will become an essential part of everyday life for businesses and consumers alike. The latency and speed of 5G technology will allow automation to operate at maximum efficiency. From manufacturing tools and robots, to self-driving vehicles, to Amazon drone delivery systems, 5G signals will enable unprecedented control of autonomous systems while saving time, energy, and money.
6. 5G Technology Budgeting
It’s crucial that you and your company’s stakeholders begin to determine a budget that takes into account 5G technology. In the current rollout, 5G tech is priced significantly higher than its 4G counterparts. Executives and business owners need to be insightful when creating business strategies that incorporate 5G products and devices as waiting too long will put you behind the competition.
7. Competition & Consumer Expectations
Perhaps the most significant way the 5G rollout will affect your business is within consumer expectations of your business speed and your competitors’ business speed. Consumers will soon be able to access these lightning speeds from the comfort of their own devices. If your services aren’t instant, they will move on to your competition. As Bernard Marr of Forbes states, “companies that are prepared for 5G will be poised to reap the biggest benefits.”
M&H Consultants: Ahead of the Curve with You
Don’t make the critical mistake of believing that 5G is only relevant to huge corporations and tech conglomerates. The 5G era of networking and data sharing is going to change how the world operates similar to email, cell phones, wifi, and 4G before it. Manufacturers, law firms, academic institutions, start-ups, and restaurants, alongside the rest of the small business world will have to adapt to 5G tech. With M&H Consultants, this transition doesn’t have to be a hassle; we’ll help you utilize this cutting edge technology to grow your business further, reaching new and exciting milestones.
At M&H Consultants, our passion and expertise for technology empowers us to provide you with the best solutions to align your company ahead of the curve once 5G fully integrates into everyday life. We’ve got our ears to the ground, listening, watching, and studying the rollout to piece together how we can take advantage of this fresh new technology and implement it seamlessly within your cloud-based storage and computing systems. Get in touch with our cloud experts to learn more about our services and how we’re preparing for the 5G rollout.
Categorised in: 5g connection, Digital Age, Innovation