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Where Will 5G Take Us in 2020 and Beyond?

Where Will 5G Take Us in 2020 and Beyond? Image Credit: Detry/Bigstockphoto.com

2019 saw the first deployments of 5G - the new, ultra fast, low latency network that promises to transform how people connect. But as always with cutting-edge innovations in tech, there seems to be more questions than answers when it comes to 5G use cases. While some mobile network operators have already begun deploying 5G in certain areas, the network will do so much more than optimize streaming video capabilities. Below are a few of the most exciting areas where we’ll see 5G have the most impact in 2020.

#1: 5G will enable a safer future

5G will enable many new opportunities, but the early use cases will be focused on very specific areas that require uber fast network speeds. The most important of those will likely be for military, first responders, and other personnel who work in similar high-pressure and even dangerous, life-threatening situations. The Department of Defense recently announced an initiative to bring 5G to the military and begin experimenting with 5G-enabled devices such as virtual reality (VR) tools for training, suggesting this opportunity may be right around the corner. In 2020, we will start to see the first implementations, with 5G’s faster network speeds and lower latency enabling security drones or augmented reality (AR) goggles to give increased visibility and guidance with critical information to personnel in unsafe situations. As 5G continues to expand and improve, it will enable a safer future for these industries.

#2: Gamers will tap into 5G to expand the virtual universe

The area where 5G will likely have the most impact on the consumer side is gaming. Think about it - there's few other areas in tech where latency can mean life or death - virtually speaking. In gaming, speed is everything, and lagging a few milli-seconds behind another player can mean the end of your quest, hunt or fight in just a moment. But upgrading to 5G just for the gamers in the house might not be completely feasible for the people paying the bills (ie: the parents). That’s why we should expect the emergence of add-on 5G offerings partnering with gaming companies, offering “universe as a service” platforms to existing network agreements solely for gaming purposes. These mini packages will allow for gamers to tap into the increased speed of 5G while they’re playing, without parents having to upend the entire network agreement for a couple of hours worth of roaming the virtual universe.

Richard Piasentin,
CMO & Chief
Strategy Officer,
Accedian

#3: Cloud providers will partner with mobile operators to gain an edge

In 2019, AT&T and Microsoft Azure announced a partnership to bring network edge compute capabilities to AT&T’s 5G network and allowing Azure to take advantage of AT&T’s networks and local data centers to reduce latency. Verizon announced a similar edge cloud partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

In 2020, more cloud providers will follow suit with similar network operator partnerships - inciting a competition to decide which of these giants can deliver better, faster services to consumers first. Not only will partnerships like this be crucial for 5G, but they’ll also offer new business opportunities across industries that require low-latency and high-performance edge services, from more reliable autonomous vehicles to security drones for public safety officials.

#4: But there’s still untapped opportunities ahead

Much of the success of 4G can be attributed to the iPhone, but we have yet to see a similar device to drive 5G adoption. 5G has huge potential for enterprise and government use, but large-scale consumer adoption will require a similarly popular device to increase demand. In 2020, we may see that device emerge - it may even be the new iPhone, and advanced Android, or a new IoT device that requires the fast network speed and low latency 5G provides. Ultimately, it will be a device that relies on these qualities of 5G networks that drives adoption of the new technology. There’s unbound opportunity ahead for 5G - it’s just a question of where.

Author

Richard is the Chief Strategy Officer at Accedian, the leader in performance analytics and end user experience solutions. Before Accedian, Richard held roles at Nortel Networks, BlackBerry and Viavi.

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