What had started as a passion for scientific curiosity, some 150 years after Alexander Graham Bell’s first experiment in sound, has led to the foundation of modern-day societal infrastructure. We are now in the midst of another digital revolution for what is commonly known as digital telecommunications. This is thanks to the rapid advancement of broadband and cellular technologies, which have expanded dramatically to alter our nation’s communication infrastructure.

Where people used to talk to each other via 2G, 3G and 4G technology, 5G is allowing the Internet of Things – like autonomous cars for example – to communicate with each other. With 5G networks, we will experience faster speeds at expanded bandwidths. This makes data sharing more secure and fluid, transferring and connecting all devices from traffic reports, traffic lights, sensors on cars, through technological resources that can respond to that data in an instant. The expanded network potential of 5G will lead to more advanced applications and better data insights, allowing more than just vehicles to multi-task and communicate near effortlessly.

On October 17, 2018, the Northern Virginia Technology Council hosted another impressive signature Titans event focusing on the topic of 5G with industry leaders Tim Baxter, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America and Sowmyanarayan Sampath, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer of Verizon, both of whom are on the frontlines in creating these possibilities.

“5G is the future and it’s happening now and it’s happening here,” said Baxter.

5G is fast, REALLY FAST. Just how fast, you ask? Roughly 20x faster than its 4G counterpart. With 5G, connected devices and machines ranging from smartphones to smart cars to smart homes and smart cities can act on data intelligence faster than ever in a predictive manner.  

With 5G, we will observe a dramatic shift in how we, as humans interact with computers and interact with each other. Many anticipate that the numeric evolution of a network – the difference we felt from “3G” and “4G” will prove to be a subtle shift. Of course, we welcome the ability to stream media at Netflix & Chill speeds anywhere our devices signify “4G” or “LTE” in the network bar. App-centric interaction, web-surfing and streaming music and other high-gig consuming content no longer caused irritating lagging. But with 5G networks, our lives will be greatly impacted through innovations in B2B technology.

Here are a couple of examples highlighting how this will impact B2B:

• Downloaded software will become a thing of the past. With faster Internet speeds, we have already seen the transition start, but we anticipate full-integration to cloud-based software exclusively.

• Media consumption will shift. Higher-quality image content, apps and a lot more video will be streamed through mobile. Interactive elements will increase. B2B marketers will need to shift their digital strategies to keep pace.

• Telework will change hiring. Remote work and remote offices allow companies to be in the most attractive areas at a reasonable cost. Both of these will change the hiring game as we know it.

True convergence is taking place now. And this is only the beginning. We have barely touched the surface as to what possibilities of securing a 5G network will create. This is an exciting time to be in the technology space. What do you think the widespread user acceptance and application of 5G will allow for next?

Learn more about the NVTC Tech Titans event and the role of 5G. (Samsung is a Merritt Group client).