Evaluating 5G for your business

How to translate the potential of 5G into an Action Plan with real commercial opportunities?

This the question that Australian business leaders are asking themselves. A 5G Action Plan will leverage these five realities:

1. 5G networks are highly scalable and can solve various existing pain points across multiple industries, as well as address completely new use cases and applications otherwise not possible with existing networks.
2. 5G is about reacting to the market demand in a timely fashion by enabling new services to be launched in a matter of days, not months or even years, as is the case with today’s existing networks.
3. 5G is about smart edge computing, extending the capabilities of macro-cells and small cells beyond connectivity and transforming them into intelligent computing hubs close to the end user.
4. 5G is more than just an access technology. It should be seen as a transformation tool capable of supporting flexible implementation scenarios across licensed and unlicensed spectrum and across public and private networks.
5. 5G is about accelerating many other technologies and business models, helping them achieve their full potential and capturing brand new business opportunities. These are the assets the industry should focus on to unlock new business opportunities across the entire value chain.

5G more than just a pipe

Unlike 4G/LTE, 5G will be more than just a pipe.

Intelligent connectivity is the promise of 5G.

5G has the capacity to deliver an unprecedented level of connectivity, between humans, between humans and machines, and machines to machines.

It represents a purpose-built technology, designed and engineered to facilitate connected devices as well as automation systems.

Big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and edge computing are poised to deliver unimaginable capabilities and 5G is the enabler for all these technologies.

The Pathway to 5G is LTE

Waiting until the 5G network is fully deployed before acting shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of 5G technology.

Unlike 4G, the activation of 5G is not a case of ‘flipping the switch’.

5G is a mash up of enhanced technologies, new spectrum, and advanced infrastructure. Although all these elements work together, they will roll out in different ways and at different times.

5G is more of a pathway than an event, and that pathway has two lanes – Gigabit-Class LTE and 5G.

Gigabit-Class LTE is an important element on the Pathway to 5G. Not only will it share a dual connection with 5G, but it is a significant performance improvement over 4G LTE. Because of this and the fact that it is rolling out faster than 5G, Gigabit-Class LTE will be the starting lane on the Pathway to 5G for a lot of organisations.