Part two of this article will look at how 5G will enhance technology and have a big impact on businesses in the future. Click here to read part one, where I discuss the immediate impact of 5G on businesses.
There’s a lot of excitement about technology that shows promise but hasn’t been widely adopted by businesses yet. Last year, AI generated a lot of attention (and it still does). However, this year, we’re beginning to see companies start to use AI and machine learning solutions. While virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and blockchain have great potential for businesses, many haven’t yet adopted these solutions. This is mainly because of costs, access, and how well they fit with existing technology. The rollout of 5G will change that. 5G will significantly influence how businesses embrace these technologies.
5G will provide much faster speeds than earlier generations. Initial tests from Qualcomm showed browsing speeds more than seven times quicker than the average 4G rate, with theoretical limits reaching up to 20 Gbps, allowing for even more speed improvements. The combination of high speed, low latency, extra wireless spectrum, and MIMO antenna technology makes 5G the quickest and most dependable connection businesses have ever experienced. This connectivity is perfect for enterprise BYOD programs, mobility, and IoT devices that companies are currently investing in. It’s also well-suited for data-heavy applications like AR and VR, which businesses are gradually starting to adopt. While 5G may still be three to five years away for many businesses, so are VR/AR and blockchain projects.
Enabling Widespread AR Adoption
When most people think of VR and AR, they associate games like Pokémon Go AR+ mode. However, AR has incredible potential in the business landscape, and the technology is here. Unlike VR which requires a headset, all a user needs to access AR is a recent smartphone, something that employees already have on hand. The problem is, not many businesses realize the potential.
One example of AR’s potential is improving employee training through contextual documentation and resources, step-by-step virtual guidance and realistic simulation. Since AR requires employees to engage different senses, it creates a more immersive learning experience, which often resonates better with employees and helps them learn faster. Another example is projecting references and demonstrations as a digital storyboard, which helps engineers by saving costs in physical design and time spent designing, quality improvement and more. However, for AR to be effective, it requires network connection.
AR requires massive amounts of data to be processed, and fixed reliable internet connects in order to feed in data remotely. While 4G is considered fast in terms of streaming video and sharing content, it’s not quick enough to handle intensive AR/VR on its own. Limitations in bandwidth, latency and consistency severely hinder AR’s full potential. 5G network speeds will be able to handle high-resolution video and new innovative media like AR and VR a lot more smoothly.
AR is a technology that’s available today, but most businesses don’t take full advantage of it. When 5G comes to fruition, it will enable employees to use their cellphones to access AR applications and improve job processes on the fly without having to rely on fixed internet connections, which will drive more adoption.
Supporting Business’ Investment in Blockchain
Like AR, blockchain isn’t exactly new to the world, but relatively new in the context of business adoption. Blockchain initially took off in the late 2000s alongside electronic currencies such as bitcoin. Recently, experts are looking to apply the technology across a number of industries, and there are already blockchains in use.
Blockchain is a network where every transaction – such as exchange of data or goods and services – is permanently recorded in digital blocks across multiple decentralized databases. Each block contains the history of that particular transaction and every transaction before it, with note of the exact time it occurred down to the micro-second. The linking of these transactions, or blocks, is what makes the blockchain. Blockchain has a lot of potential for businesses because it eliminates a single point of failure, cyberattacks, and control by any one entity, ensuring immutability. In short, it’s the most accurate and secure log of information a business can have.
Coordinating IoT devices and blockchain servers is where 5G comes in. 5G’s speed and reliability makes it ideal for real-time “communication” between devices. Currently, batch or near real-time transactions are ultimately responsible for logging information in the blockchain. In the future, IoT sensors can feed data directly into the blocks real-time and recorded into the blockchain. Real-time communication will ensure that exact transaction times are logged accurately and feeding data directly from IoT devices to the blockchain removes the risk for human error.
Blockchain is just starting to be adopted outside the cryptocurrency industry, but it has the potential to transform the way businesses store data. The upcoming rollout of 5G will make blockchain management fast, simple and accurate.
Technologies like IoT, AR/VR, blockchain and AI have potential to optimize business processes and help businesses save on critical resources. 5G will only bolster the abilities of these technologies, and help businesses to adopt them. 5G won’t have a widespread impact for a few years, but businesses can expect immense benefits when it does.