You have probably heard about 5G, or 5th generation mobile, which is expected to roll out in the not-so-distant future. While a number of the news articles have focused on the “technological bones” of 5G — like its incredibly fast mobile speeds and more — you might be left wondering “How will it impact me and my life at work and at home?”
To answer this, let’s take a closer look at how you will be able to put 5G to work for you in a variety of ways.
Enhanced Mobile Broadband
What is 5G going to improve first and foremost? Well, it will have a positive impact on a number of services, including enhancing the mobile broadband experience. Once 5G is released, our smartphones will not only work significantly faster and better, our phones will offer more interactive and immersive experiences including virtual reality and augmented reality. As a bonus, Qualcomm adds, 5G is expected to offer consumers more consistent data rates — which is a major plus if you include a smartphone as part of the perk plan for your employees and have a huge mobile carrier bill to pay each month — as well as lower latency and cost-per-bit.
5G and the Internet of Things
While 5G will definitely have an amazing impact on our smartphones, it is especially exciting to consider the way it will change the way we use a number of common items. For instance, much of it will involve the sensors, cloud-based software and affordable transmitters collectively known as the Internet of Things (IoT) or “smart” devices. Right now, your company might have smart A/C thermostats, door locks that you can program and check from your phone and a smart fridge in your company lunch room — like the Samsung model that lets you and your employees stream TV on the big screen on the front of the appliance and watch shows during your lunch hours. But as literally billions more objects go online thanks to the power of 5G, the networks will be able to take these smart devices to the next level. The smart thermostats in your start-up will be more energy-efficient than ever, the refrigerator in the break room will personalize the entertainment options based on who it knows has lunch when and the entire company will use less power, which will ultimately save you money.
Remote Workers Get More Done
As a busy entrepreneur, there are probably plenty of days where you work remotely — for example, sending out invoices from a coffee shop where you stopped to pick up a latte. You may also allow some or all of your team to telecommute from home. Thanks to 5G’s significant boost in speed, capacity and latency, you and your employees will not have to wait for 10 agonizing minutes for a server to kick in to start work. 5G will make computer connections instantly available and people will be able to access the files they need, no matter where they are located. In addition, 5G’s immense amount of bandwidth will be custom tailored to each user depending on how much you typically require, so you and your team will always have the perfect amount of bandwidth available to get your work done on the road or from the home office.
As for 5G’s Full Impact, We Will Have to Wait and See
With 5G’s pending release, it is interesting to speculate on how it will change our lives for the better at work and at home. Certain features are sure things, like its super fast speed, positive impact on the IoT and low latency. Once it is released and is readily available, it will be fun to experience 5G’s full and impressive impact on our lives, as we discover all the amazing things it is capable of doing.