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5G is the biggest jump forward in wireless network technology — and also one of the most opaque. It’s about much more than just better “speed,” yet consumers are often unsure they need 5G’s manifold benefits like low latency, high density and new services placed closer to the edge of the network. We think 5G is compelling, but perhaps in a different way than 4G was.
Leo Gergs, a research analyst at ABI Research, says that may be OK. “4G was very consumer-oriented; with 5G that is starting to shift. It’s vitally important that the telco industry target the enterprise,” Gergs says. “But they realize the picture inside the enterprise is much more complicated” than selling 5G plans and phones to consumers.
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Why 5G may seem underwhelming at first
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Gergs also points out that much of the benefit of 5G is societal and not just for individuals and their specific needs. Goals like autonomous cars, smart cities and industrial Internet of Things promise vast benefits, but not necessarily to one of us as much as to all of us. Communicating those kinds of benefits will take more nuance and patience as they arrive over years, not months.
“The current situation doesn’t initially benefit 5G,” says Gergs of the current COVID-19 shelter-in-place period and its economic uncertainty. “However, in the long term, this will benefit 5G dramatically because it better enables services that people have gotten used to,” like increased reliance on remote work, education and health care.
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Gergs had many more insightful comments on the future of 5G and how it depends on the big picture, not just consumers. See his full conversation with Brian Cooley in the video above.
Now What is a video interview series with industry leaders, celebrities and influencers that covers trends impacting businesses and consumers amid the “new normal.” There will always be change in our world, and we’ll be here to discuss how to navigate it all.
