We like to monitor what's on the horizon in the general business technology sector so we can share it with our readers. We saw Jayson Demers' piece on Forbes.com where he predicts businesses could be serving consumers in a 5G (or fifth generation) world as early as late 2019.
"5G internet has the potential to be almost 10 times faster than 4G, making it even better than most home internet services."
This begs the question if businesses are ready for a 5G world when many are still trying to develop all of the capacity to meet consumer needs in a 4G environment with 2G technology. So, we decided to do a little digging and see what telecoms must do over the next 24 months to prepare for a 5G market:
The Future of Wireless
In the 4G world, many consumers are still using 3G wireless phones. Companies like AT&T are already working on rolling out enhanced versions of 4G LTE in advance of 5G (and the standards for the latter have yet to be defined). The fifth-generation network is guaranteed to be faster, but it remains to be seen how the telecommunication companies will make this possible.
PC Mag explains that 5G works on different frequencies that 4G and 3G networks:
"5G, by and large, will operate on very high frequencies, requiring towers or antennas that are relatively close together. It will rely on 4G for broader overall coverage, especially in rural areas."
The Small Cell Revolution
Instead of building more satellite towers so that 5G networks will provide faster data speeds (i.e. greater than 25 megabits per second, but possibly more than 1 gigabit per second), 5G will demand that the U.S.'s major wireless providers (i.e. Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon) install small cells in communities. This will enable different kinds of communication at the higher data speed, which will be good for soon-to-be popular driverless cars talking to each other.
What Does It Take to Build a Small Cell for 5G Networks?
Recall that wireless providers won't necessarily build more towers, but they must install their small cells somewhere. A small cell is a standalone cell that could be added to an existing utility tower. However, to build a small cell, a wireless provider must install an antenna and equipment. This process will either make an existing utility pole into more of an eyesore or require that a pole with a greater diameter be installed so the new small cell equipment will fit inside it. An alternative to small cell construction is to build a distributed antenna system (DAS). According to the Steel in the Air blog, the nation's top wireless providers will probably opt for small cells because they're cheaper and they don't require coordination between different companies.
Think About the Impact of 5G on How You Operate
For retailers, it's important to think of how consumers using future 5G wireless devices will need to communicate with your company. PC Mag noted that most businesses use a 2G system for IoT applications. Most households cannot even access a 4G connection for domestic smart uses. One implication for 5G is whether a retailer will invest in technology that delivers interactive experiences to users with the highest-frequency devices when they are in or near the store.
"5G networks will accept small, inexpensive, low-power devices, so they'll connect a lot of smaller objects and different kinds of ambient sensors to the internet."
However, in a 5G world, mobile phones will morph into devices "meant to be used with VR headsets, [which means] the very low latency and consistent speeds of 5G will give you an internet-augmented world." Therefore, if retailers have a small cell in their vicinity (or even in their building in downtown areas), they will have access to the infrastructure needed to interact with mobile 5G users in an expanded virtual reality world.
