Interactive: Understanding the global impact of 5G
We are now in the early stages the next technological revolution: the development of a ubiquitous wireless network that will marry data collection and computation with billions of devices. This will provide us with unique, previously unprecedented insights and abilities that will change what we do and how we do it. This network is called 5G.
Outside of a few tech-focused circles, the benefits of 5G aren’t widely understood. Reduced to its most elementary definition, 5G sounds a lot like its predecessors—a set of invisible radio waves that transmit information between devices, just faster. Replete with a host of alphanumeric acronyms, it’s going to radically upend many aspects of our lives, the party line goes, just like 4G LTE and 3G before it.
Unlike its predecessors, though, 5G isn’t just a network. 5G will become the underlying fabric of an entire ecosystem of fully connected sensors
and devices, capable of overhauling economic and business policies, and further blurring geographical and cultural borders. It will be capable of delivering at every rung of the ecosystem’s ladder, and provide seamless, continuous connectivity for business applications.
Let’s use one of the industries discussed here as an example. What does 5G mean for automotive? Think about the relationship between the smart city and an autonomous car. With a 5G connection, your car will know your ETA at work, taking the optimal route based on traffic data communicated from other cars and the roadways. Your car will follow that calculated route, using that ultra-fast, ultra-reliable communication between vehicles and infrastructure to get you to your office safely and on time.
