Icon Media Holdings Inc (ICNM)

[nickeli54]

Despite the challenges, I don’t think we really have a choice about whether to introduce 5G or not. Too many of the things we are building towards in our society rely on it and countries like the USA and South Korea are already planning their rollouts. Here is how I think it will play out:
5G will have more of a niche role in the early years, launching in dense metropolitan areas first, and on a city-by-city rather than a countrywide rollout basis.
Where it is enabled, it will co-exist with 4G, which has a relatively long lifespan.
The killer application will be as the first true broadband alternative, mainly in developing countries and areas where broadband capability is either non-existent or very weak.
Standardisation is some way off and this – along with the cost implications – will force a wait for a lot of operators. We will see some launches in 2018-2019 when the standards set by the GSMA set in.
Business models for 5G in applications like machine-to-machine connections and self-driving cars will need to be designed imaginatively. These will present a challenge to operators’ profitability because of the low amount of revenue available per connection.