Find out how the 5G network will change the face of the UK
You’ll have no doubt heard all about 5G and the furore surrounding the latest generation of mobile technology, but what changes will you see in your business and your working life?
It’s a generational thing…
Since 1976, we’ve experienced ever-changing generations of mobile technology. It started with the first generation – or 1G – which was introduced when Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister and, ever since, technology within the mobile world has accelerated.
The turn of the nineties not only saw the Spice Girls take over and double denim reign supreme but 2G and then 3G also entered the tech mainframe.
With Barack Obama’s presidency came 4G and, just a decade later, we’re now able to use the latest generation of mobile connectivity, 5G.
Similar to its predecessors, 5G has opened up even more possibilities for work and comes equipped with higher speeds, lower latency and increased reliability, but is it really that much different?
How will it change business?
The emergence of 5G could transform the way your business works, in every single way you can possibly think of.
5G means that artificial intelligence (AI) takes another huge leap towards becoming integrated with our everyday lives and it paves the way for virtual reality (VR) to be more prominent in the workplace.
Factories can now become ‘super-smart’ with workers being able to operate machinery from afar, a recent demonstration from LG and Doosan saw an operator remotely control an excavator in South Korea from a booth 5,000 miles away in Germany thanks to 5G technology.
Businesses in rural locations will soon become better connected to the internet – something some parts of the UK have been waiting patiently for.
People working remotely or working on the move will also be able to do more with superfast download and upload speeds available on their mobile phones.
It’s been predicted that 5G could save councils £2.8 billion every year with optimised services such as smart bins and intelligent street lighting.
Remote health services could also emerge with capabilities such as 4K, holograms and VR opening up the option to have appointments without travelling to a healthcare unit. Experts predict that remote services could free up 1.1 million hours a year for NHS GPs.
Qualcomm estimates that by 2035, 5G will support the production of up to $12 trillion worth of goods and services and with smart hotels, connected cars and home devices already becoming popular, it’s not too hard to imagine.
How will it change my life?
Have you ever imagined a world where technology controls everything around you and everything you see? Well, with the revolutionary 5G network, that futuristic world you once imagined might not be too far off.
If you’ve got a 4G phone, the networks claim you could achieve top speeds of around 100-150Mbps, however the average person realistically gets speeds between 40-60Mbps. With 5G you could have more than 1Gbps, with realistic, real-time speeds between 300-500Mbps. That’s not just double, it’s almost TEN TIMES faster and some experts think that eventually, 5G could be 100 times quicker than our current 4G offering.
You’ll be able to download a HD movie within seconds or stream a 4K film without buffering. There’ll be an explosion in Internet of Things (IoT) devices with almost everything from fridges and lights to cars and advertising boards having a ‘smart’ element. In fact, it’s not beyond the realm of possibilities that we might one day see almost every device become ‘smart’ and connected.
Driverless cars whizzing around our streets and AI shop assistants or VR changing rooms, all accompanied by holographic advertising board could become much more mainstream and l change our high streets forever
In March 2018, O2 predicted that 5G could earn the UK around £6billion a year through savings, while 5G-enabled tools such as fridges, smart electricity grids and electric and driverless cars could save householders around £450 a year.
Everything changes
So far, the transformation between 3G and 4G has been slight, but with 5G comes a giant leap forward in technological advancements.
There’s a number of 5G-ready devices already on the market, from the likes of Samsung, but soon every device will be ready to help you embrace the 5G revolution.
With so many changes ready to go, it might not just be the next generation for mobile connectivity, it could be the next generation of the world we work in and live in.
Discover your 5G possibilities with one of our 5G mobile plans, click here to find out more
