Are You Ready For The 5G Revolution?
Srikanth Chakkilam, CEO, Cigniti Technologies, 0
5G is here whether organizations are ready or not. Not `here' as in ready for rolling-out the next generation of business and consumer applications (at least not quite yet); but `here' in the sense that it is knocking at the door and is causing the onset of serious, strategic conversations all the way up to the C-level of many organizations. The conversations have started to pivot from `we have time to worry about that' to gaining a strong understanding of how 5G will shape the structure of their industry.
Also, in line with that, what the future-readiness of their organization to maximize the benefits that 5G will offer the enterprise. As the global infrastructure is still playing catch-up on how to adopt and incorporate the technology, the promise of 5G easily stands to be the next seismic movement in the evolution of digital transformation. CIOs and CTOs all over the world have been analyzing the impact of cost vs. benefits vs. timing of 5G adoption as they vie to introduce and position 5G-driven in an ultra-competitive global marketplace.
5G is a major advancement to the existing Long-Term Evolution (LTE 4G capability) with much lower latency and the potential for significantly higher capacity and bandwidth. Many organizations have only recently recognized the potential need to accelerate their strategies to roll-out business and consumer applications that will be able to maximize the benefits of 5G. As of January 2020, commercial 5G networks have already been deployed in 378 cities across 34 countries globally, with 50 of cities being in the US. The commercial launch of OnGo (CBRS) in 2019 presented a pivotal point for enabling Private Wireless Networks in the US, which are set to evolve into 5G in the coming future.
To put things into perspective, let us look at how the current 4G LTE technologies map against the 5G with just a sampling of the disruption that is happening:
· UHD Content Streaming & Low Latency: Ultra High Definition (UHD) videos are being streamed everywhere today. Mobile device companies already have the infrastructure to calibrate UHD videos and play them seamlessly on cell phones. However, with the limitations of 4G data speeds and latency, the video goes back to the default setting of HD. Data speeds of 5G are expected to be around 10GBPS. 5G will not only provide a rich user experience, but also revolutionize the way we consume content by augmenting the quality of streams.
· IoT: Today, billions of connected physical devices are collecting, sharing, and assimilating data as a means of communicating with other IoT devices. As 5G networks are being designed for less than one millisecond latency,
it would be a game-changer in industries such as automotive, medicine, logistics, manufacturing, and motorsport racing such as Formula One, where data pertaining to milliseconds is accounted for.
· Propagator for Next-Gen Technologies: Artificial Intelligence in automotive industry has seen some major developments with parking assist, lane assist, auto pilot mode, and more. However, even the tests with Tesla and other renowned auto makers show a large gap when making the cars 100 percent safe to drive in cities with heavy traffic. 5G, with a millisecond of latency and extremely high frequency, can be the missing link in the AI adoption in the auto industry. Similarly, industries that leverage a high amount of Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality, such as gaming industry, will be able to take a big leap by integrating with 5G wireless networks.
· Energy & Utilities: Utility-based communications are among the most demanding and challenging tasks an IoT device performs. Connecting thousands of devices wirelessly and securely while driving huge amounts of data that an industry like Energy & Utilities consumes and generates daily is a tall order. 5G, with its incredible networking speeds and capabilities, can facilitate real-time data generation and computing for the high-level computing required in E&U.
· Aviation: The biggest challenge that the airlines, aerospace, & aviation-tech industries face is to maintain ground-flight communications at a speed of 500 miles/hour at an altitude of 35,000 feet. 5G wireless networks operate at a very high frequency that helps reduce interference from low frequencies to establish a beamforming wireless link from ground-sites towards in-flight modems. In a recent case, Nokia partnered with Lufthansa to deploy a 5G wireless private connection to create a virtual engine inspection station for its engineers. Lufthansa Technik deployed the `Virtual Table inspection' project to successfully train their engineers using HD video trainings.
It's clear that 5G will not just revolutionize the aesthetics of our digital economy, but will also enhance the user experience to levels previously only dreamed about, optimize the way we look at things through the lens of digital, and ultimately, provide a major boost to the efficiency of all the major industries. With all the hype surrounding 5G, the expectations of the consumer already at a high will reach unprecedented levels. 5G is going to be monumental in driving digital experiences for the customers, which in turn will continue to elevate the way these digital experiences are developed and deployed. It will fundamentally change the way applications (mobile, IoT, and others) are designed, developed and monitored.
From digital entertainment to mobile connectivity and smart homes, we can expect 5G to be in the driver's seat over the coming years. To make the most out it, every industry not only telecom needs to take a holistic view for the 5G strategy, covering everything from marketing, product design, architecture & development, testing, and of course, continuous experience analysis. 5G will prove to be a key differentiator that will help organizations stay ahead of the needs of their customers, thereby providing the ultimate Customer Experience.
· Propagator for Next-Gen Technologies: Artificial Intelligence in automotive industry has seen some major developments with parking assist, lane assist, auto pilot mode, and more. However, even the tests with Tesla and other renowned auto makers show a large gap when making the cars 100 percent safe to drive in cities with heavy traffic. 5G, with a millisecond of latency and extremely high frequency, can be the missing link in the AI adoption in the auto industry. Similarly, industries that leverage a high amount of Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality, such as gaming industry, will be able to take a big leap by integrating with 5G wireless networks.
· Energy & Utilities: Utility-based communications are among the most demanding and challenging tasks an IoT device performs. Connecting thousands of devices wirelessly and securely while driving huge amounts of data that an industry like Energy & Utilities consumes and generates daily is a tall order. 5G, with its incredible networking speeds and capabilities, can facilitate real-time data generation and computing for the high-level computing required in E&U.
5G, With Its Incredible Networking Speeds And Capabilities, Can Facilitate Real-Time Data Generation And Computing For The High-Level Computing Required In E&U
· Aviation: The biggest challenge that the airlines, aerospace, & aviation-tech industries face is to maintain ground-flight communications at a speed of 500 miles/hour at an altitude of 35,000 feet. 5G wireless networks operate at a very high frequency that helps reduce interference from low frequencies to establish a beamforming wireless link from ground-sites towards in-flight modems. In a recent case, Nokia partnered with Lufthansa to deploy a 5G wireless private connection to create a virtual engine inspection station for its engineers. Lufthansa Technik deployed the `Virtual Table inspection' project to successfully train their engineers using HD video trainings.
It's clear that 5G will not just revolutionize the aesthetics of our digital economy, but will also enhance the user experience to levels previously only dreamed about, optimize the way we look at things through the lens of digital, and ultimately, provide a major boost to the efficiency of all the major industries. With all the hype surrounding 5G, the expectations of the consumer already at a high will reach unprecedented levels. 5G is going to be monumental in driving digital experiences for the customers, which in turn will continue to elevate the way these digital experiences are developed and deployed. It will fundamentally change the way applications (mobile, IoT, and others) are designed, developed and monitored.
From digital entertainment to mobile connectivity and smart homes, we can expect 5G to be in the driver's seat over the coming years. To make the most out it, every industry not only telecom needs to take a holistic view for the 5G strategy, covering everything from marketing, product design, architecture & development, testing, and of course, continuous experience analysis. 5G will prove to be a key differentiator that will help organizations stay ahead of the needs of their customers, thereby providing the ultimate Customer Experience.