General
What can 5G bring to your business?
19th May 2022
5G is the 5th generation mobile network. It is the new global wireless standard after 4G and enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together – machines, objects, and devices.
5G will initially:
- Allow you to download content at 300 Mbps
- Improve the responsiveness of everything your mobile phone does
- Make mobile broadband a viable alternative to wired, cable or satellite internet
And eventually…
- Allow you to download content @ 10 Gbps
- Provide the speed smart city components need to work flawlessly
- Enable connected cars to communicate with each other and the world around them
5G has been with us for a few years now – but what can it bring for you and your business?
Speed!
This is the obvious one. Testing is currently putting potential top 5G speeds as high as 1 Gigabit per second.1 For most people an increase of 10x compared to what they are getting on 4G should be a given.2
Better capacity.
Ever been somewhere with full signal on your mobile yet unable to load a web page or make a call? This is likely due to a capacity issue – where the mast or masts nearby have too many devices trying to use them at once. Most frequently experienced at large events such as concerts and football games, it can cause all kinds of issues for businesses and consumers. 5G will offer better capacity in all areas that it’s available in, so your connection will not only be faster but much more reliable.
According to O2, the number of potential connected personal devices per square kilometre will increase from the current 200 to 1,000,000! 3
Lower latency.
Latency refers to response time as part of a connection or information request – the lower the better. Response times becoming almost instantaneous will help to create an environment where extremely futuristic technologies such as remote robotic surgery become a practicable option.
As the largest owner of mobile spectrum in the UK, O2 are in the process of rolling out 5G across the country. Currently, the service is live in most major towns and cities. To see whether 5G has arrived in your area, visit their coverage checker here.
Future plans
Smart Cities
The speed, response time and reliability of 5G will allow connected devices to talk to each other at the speeds required for smart systems such as traffic management, parking, and waste disposal.
Technologies that have started appearing in cities such as bins that alert the council when they are full will become more efficient with the help of 5G’s speed and latency improvements.
Connected Cars
5G capabilities will enable communication between smart cars (V2V) and between cars and the world around them (V2X).
In the future cars will be able to warn the vehicles behind of an upcoming obstruction in the road or influence the sequence of traffic lights based on traffic density.
How will 5G benefit your business?
A faster speed means more business actions can be carried out in less time, with fewer glitches and delays. Meaning faster transmission of larger files such as images and videos. Downloading a high-definition file takes about 10 minutes over a 4G network, whereas a 5G network should be able to do that in less than 10 seconds!
Everything you do now with your mobile devices will become faster, allowing for more efficient working all-around. Remote and field workers will be able to communicate through HD video conferencing with no lagging connections, and capacity increases will ensure your employees are always connected, even in the busiest areas. Access to cloud-based storage such as SharePoint will work seamlessly!
Vehicle and asset tracking will become more reliable with more accurate real-time monitoring possible thanks to 5G’s low latency. This will also benefit lone worker tracking users, enabling you to constantly monitor the wellbeing of your staff.
Mobile broadband and 5G routers will become as fast and as reliable as home broadband – improving options for home worker connectivity with no landlines needed.
Plus, if you have 5G internet backup in your office, if disaster strikes and your broadband connection fails there is no need to worry since you have a fast and reliable 5G connection to fall back on.
The impact of the 5G network already is huge, and we have seen first-hand the difference it can make to a business. If you are looking for more information about 5G for your business requirements, contact our team today on 0330 002 2111 or pop us a message at info@cmc.uk.net.
