CES 2018 Trend 5: 5G Remains a Hot Topic as It Inches Closer
And what brands can do in preparation
At this CES, 5G feels closer to reality than ever. Right before the holiday break, 3GPP (the regulatory agency that oversees global cellular standards) officially ratified the hardware specifications for non-standalone 5G standards, as the industry took a significant step in settling the 5G standards The next step would be to set the standalone specifications for 5G later this year, with a plan of testing 5G networks in select markets in this year and the next before a wide rollout in 2020.
Given the context, it is no wonder that 5G connectivity remained a hot topic of discussion at CES this year despite still being at least a couple of years away from mass adoption. Several keynote speakers brought up the implications of having a super-fast, always reliable wireless connection would have on their industries, ranging from entertainment to transportation. Everyone in the tech industry is excited for 5G to arrive, but few have a clear idea of just how that would change the way we consume content and connect with each other.
To that end, the 5G-themed keynote on Wednesday, featuring CEOs from Baidu, Qualcomm, and Verizon showed just how far-flung the impact of 5G will be across various sectors of consumer technology. Whereas Verizon is focusing on beating rival carriers to bring 5G to market, chipmaker Qualcomm is more concerned with the technical standards pending regulatory approval that has been holding it back from designing 5G-ready chipsets for mobile and IoT manufacturers. Baidu, on the other hand, is already eyeing the huge potential that 5G could unlock in data collection, with which it plans to fuel its AI development and autonomous vehicles.Three companies, three distinct viewpoints on the implementation of 5G.
A similar panel discussion was held on Tuesday featuring executives from Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Nokia, who discussed how 5G could bring structural changes to industries from transportation to manufacturing. Ino particular, Matt Grob, EVP of technology of Qualcomm, said he expected 5G to play a major role in tele-medicine and remote patient car, but also.noted that regulatory hindrance in healthcare may mean slower adoption.
For most brands, however, the impending arrival of 5G poses three primary concerns that they will need to address:
- They will need to upgrade their mobile user experience to take advantage of the HD live streaming and immersive media content that 5G enables.
- They should prepare to overhaul their enterprise IT equipment and structure to transition from landline/WiFi to cellular wireless.
- They will need to start exploring the data collection and personalization that AI-powered tools can enhance.
