The new 5G mobile internet network that is set to change the world will be launching in 2020. Although we’re beginning to get a better understanding of what 5G is, how fast it will be and how it works, the world has yet to understand fully the impact of its global roll-out in just a few years. Find out the exciting and futuristic possibilities that 5G could bring below. Some of them will blow your mind.
What Is 5G?
Before we start exploring a world in which 5G is a reality, let’s recap what this new development in mobile data is. 5G is a mobile network technology that has been specifically designed to handle the enormous amounts of data and connected devices that we use today – and we will use even more in the not-so-distant future.
By pooling bandwidth to boost mobile range and speed, users should notice a very significant reduction in latency as well as increased reliability, speed and capacity and generally seamless experience.
How Could 5G Change The World?
The global roll-out of 5G may not seem like a particularly revolutionary concept, but this new mobile data technology will dramatically impact the world we live in. Not only will it change how we surf the internet using the devices we currently use but it will also make connected living a reality, changing how we travel, live, shop and eat, to name just a few.
The Internet Of Things
Imagine a world where every device you use is interconnected. You wake up, and your fitness tracker has recorded your sleep and updated an app with the results, which triggers your coffee machine to brew you a delicious coffee to wake up to. You leave the house and your robotic household appliances vacuum and clean and update you via your phone with their progress – and so on. As you go about your day, all of your everyday devices are there to make your life that much easier.
With the introduction of superfast and reliable 5G, this world could become a reality for all of us very quickly. This doesn’t end with equipment; however, IoT will be fully enabled with wearable technology that you can take everywhere with you too.
Connected Vehicles And Driverless Cars
With dramatically improved latency, 5G will enable connected vehicles and driverless cars to be rolled out across our roads. This improved safety feature means that autonomous vehicles can react to scenarios within milliseconds, something that wouldn’t be possible without 5G.
This technology will enable driverless cars to respond instantly to red lights and even exchange data with nearby vehicles to avoid any possible collisions. Connected and driverless cars would need to have their own protected priority network dedicated to supplying the roads to ensure that hacking wasn’t possible and the network couldn’t be interrupted so that accidents didn’t occur.
Once the Internet of Things is made possible at home, it’s only a matter of time before the concept can be rolled out for urban applications. Hypothetically, IoT could be used to monitor devices that could help with traffic flow throughout cities, detect disturbances to alert the relevant emergency services, connect utility meters, monitor the quality of our environment for aspects such as pollution and even alert refuse collectors when a bin needed to be emptied.
The possibilities are endless for smart cities as there are so many devices that could be used and connected to make our cities more efficient.
Although virtual reality is already established in the entertainment sector, with the introduction of 5G and the Internet of Things, it will be the healthcare industry that will benefit the most.
Reliable and accurate real-time updates in healthcare applications could not only enable better diagnosis and suitable treatment but could also be combined with virtual reality technology to make remote operations a real possibility. Imagine having a patient in a remote rural village who don’t have access to medical care and is too sick to move. Life-saving treatment could be administered by a surgeon in a city halfway around the world with the help of haptic gloves attached to a surgical machine. The surgeon’s brain would be scanned throughout to ensure reactions were in real time, but this could only be achieved with 5G.
Expect to see some incredible transformations in the world we live in once 5G is rolled out. Find out more about how fast this new evolution in mobile technology will be with our interactive infographic.