What is 5G and How does It Affect Your Business

The speed of communication is on course to only get faster. Downloads are happening more quickly, bandwidth is growing, and networks are becoming more powerful. 5G is the fifth generation of wireless cellular technology. It’s not everywhere yet, but mobile carriers are working hard to make that happen.

5G builds on previous generations of mobile technology, gradually increasing the ability of all kinds of smart devices to communicate in new and more versatile ways with each other over the cellular network. While 4G achieved a great deal regarding the speed of data transfer, 5G increases data capacity by 100 times, which increases the amount of data we’ll see flying across our devices.

How Will It Affect Your Business?

By 2025 almost half the U.S. population will be using 5G if estimations hold. Urban areas will see 5G first while rural regions lag. Even now, in some cities, 5G is already quickly becoming a reality, which means enormous benefits for users including businesses.

Businesses can operate outside traditional wired networks more efficiently, enabling company representatives to bring their work with them wherever they go. Company cloud-based platforms can all be accessed through 5G without the restrictions of physical barriers. PR reps and business developers will have more freedom to network knowing their cellular network is agile enough to operate how they want when they want. Employees will have more flexibility to work non-traditional hours while maximizing efficiency wherever they are.

How 5G Works

Because 5G works off of a cloud-based network slicing concept, businesses can benefit from enjoying a larger slice of the network pie whenever needed by paying a little bit more. Download rates will jump generously for companies and individuals alike. What once may have taken minutes to download will only take seconds. Response time also decreases significantly, requiring only one millisecond in place of 50 milliseconds to respond.

This means technology that’s just burgeoning now on 4G can flourish on 5G. The realm of IoT (Internet of Things) will explode as projected, enabling technology like self-driving cars, home appliance automation, and automated business technological process to thrive. Today approximately 8.4 billion devices are connected to the Internet of Things. With 5G, a projected 20.4 billion devices will be interconnected by 2020.

What 5G Means For Different Business Sectors

The way in which businesses communicate internally and externally will become more streamlined and efficient also. Small companies, in particular, will benefit because obstacles created by little capital will no longer be an issue due to the increased versatility for communication and business that 5G brings.

Technology Sector

Businesses that specialize in products that operate off of wireless technology will be able to explore new, wider avenues of innovation for their products on the 5G network. Smart devices of all kinds can be built with more technological sophistication to communicate over the 5G network.

Manufacturing Sector

Businesses relying on manufacturing will enjoy a revolutionized way information about shipments are communicated. Packing, shipping, receiving, storage, and production data will be more immediately accessible by all stakeholders in the production of goods.

Online Retailers

We’ve already witnessed a boom of online businesses in the past ten years. Now with 5G expect the influx of internet retailers to increase thanks to the increased accessibility to these retailers 5G provides. Customers won’t experience the frustration they may already be dealing with now on 4G at times unable to access the site they need or load the products they’d like to view. With 5G’s amazing download rates and almost instantaneous response times, online shopping will become nearly carefree.

Online retailers will be catching onto this new access to data as well, custom tailoring their content to customers in creative ways without having to consider bandwidth issues as they do now.

So Why The Wait?

Upgrading to 3G and 4G were fairly inexpensive propositions for cellular carriers since they both were built on existing infrastructure at a set frequency range. 5G, on the other hand, operates on a different frequency that provides a much more generously sized bandwidth. Because of that, the infrastructure must be completely revamped. Providers have been hard at work getting test cities up and running and plan to continue working at expanding the network at a steady pace.

What Can Your Business Do Now?

While you’re waiting for the 5G experience, your business can start planning for the transition. Fully educate decision-makers about the impact of 5G. Find out where 5G is now, where it will be in the nation this time next year, and the year after, and the year after that. If the impact of 5G on your business translates to a substantial financial consideration as you upgrade the tech in your company, start making plans for the investment now.

When 5G comes to your geographical location, don’t be left in the dust. Prepare for 5G now and enjoy all of the benefits it presents when it’s here.