5G technology will be the next innovation to have an impact on businesses throughout the world. There’s been a great deal of press about the potential benefits. This has to some extent been tempered with all the negative posts and blogs about health risks. Here we will focus on the benefits to business, and why your business should embrace 5G technology.
The main advantage of 5G to business is that of faster connectivity. This is great news for any business, as we all rely on the ease and speed by which we collaborate on project work, or how quickly we can respond to clients or customers. All businesses will have a faster web presence, and this will be great for e-commerce and omni channel businesses.
5G may offer speeds as fast as 10GB/s. To put that in context, you would be able to download a full HD movie in less than ten seconds. With 4G it would take 10 minutes to download a full HD movie.
Increased download and upload speeds will enable businesses to generate a faster service – sales functions, will deliver responses to prospects or conclude sales instantaneously; customer service functions can be more informed and responsive; marketing departments will be able to change engagement strategies at the drop of a hat, and react to changing market conditions at speed.
Another key impact will be that IoT (internet of things) devices and tools will be fully integrated into business practices and workflows. Printers, alarms, inventory tools, tracking devices will be better integrated, and all businesses will have a digital ecosystem to manage.
Being able to make sense of what a business is doing in real time, will enable directors and senior management to make more effective strategic decisions. Operating costs for a business will also be positively impacted, as utility bills, work provided by external partners, and supply networks can be managed, and controlled more efficiently.
Business overheads will be reduced as staff will be better able to work from anywhere with near zero latency (time taken for data to upload or downloaded). This is especially crucial as a result of the recent lockdown measures to tackle COVID 19.
More and more staff will want to work from home, and businesses that offer this flexibility will do best in the long term. The attitude that work ‘has to be done in an office environment’ will become a thing of the past, as we all look to stay well ourselves and protect our family and loved ones.
According to Verizon, current 4G speeds give on average around 50 milliseconds latency, whereas 5G will be 1 millisecond or less latency. 5G will enable businesses to speed up production time, and cyber security will be further supported.
Any attacks will be detected, monitored and stopped more efficiently as a result of increased real-time diagnostic capabilities. 5G will also enable greater capacity within our networks. This means that IT networks will be able to cope with any high demand applications all at the same time. 5G is also expected to be ultra-reliable where connectivity is so good, that dropped calls will be a thing of the past, and will enable a great deal more critical communications, especially in relation to digital health, or even cars that are connected.
You may be looking at your mobile phone….and asking the question that this will all take a lot of battery power to operate. 5G is being tipped as being able to provide up to ten times more battery life for phones as the functions become almost instantaneous.
Connectivity is not just for the urban masses either. The UK government is looking to 5G technology to better connect rural communities, allowing people to start businesses from home and create further opportunities. 5G Rural First, a UK Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) project between the private sector, government, and academia, is exploring rural business opportunities enabled by 5G, such as agriculture, broadcasting, and utilities.
There are many other further benefits of 5G, and they will slowly become more apparent, as we all figure out the opportunities. A new digital frontier awaits us, and the horizon in front of us is wide and inviting. Astec IT are happy to embrace the potential that this new technology will provide for us, and the clients we look after.
Astec IT has always looked at how technology can provide solutions that benefit our clients. If you have any questions about 5G and how it can benefit you, please do contact us and we will be happy to talk you through the increasing possibilities.