The story so far: In the
The noise in the wireless marketplace has reached pandemonium levels. The 5G era is fast approaching and organizations are seeking to exploit the technology to gain a competitive advantage in their industries. The reason 5G's so hot is that it represents the latest in a long line of technologies that have had a transformational impact on the business world – here is a comprehensive overview of 5G and some predictions for what it will mean for enterprise organizations.
More than Mostly Harmless – A Brief History of Wireless
In the 1980s, not a lot of good things happened. The U.S. was crippled by an economic crisis, the cold war nuclear threat seemed almost inescapable, and, perhaps worst of all, shoulder pads were the height of fashion. Then the world changed forever: wireless technology was invented.
Now, it might be a bit of stretch to suggest that wireless technology led to the resolution of these issues, but its impact on society was profound nonetheless.
Since its humble beginnings – creatively named first generation or 1G – wireless tech's evolution has been monumental: 1991 saw the emergence of 2G, which took devices from the analogue to the digital. 3G networks soon followed suit in 1998, introducing mobile internet and video calling. Then 4G arrived circa 2008, supporting higher-availability workloads, increasing speed, and reducing latency.
As each new generation of wireless technology was introduced into the mainstream, the preceding generation was resoundingly surpassed. And, with the current
So Long, and Thanks for All the 4G
And, for enterprises, that time cannot come fast enough. OpenSignal has recently reported that 4G LTE networks have greatly increased in their reach, but not necessarily their speeds. In other words, the current generation of wireless technology is stagnating, and the only way to continue the growth in technology – which as we all know is essential in supporting the growth in business – is for 5G to become an attainable reality.
Life, The Universe, and 5G
To summarize, 5G is already indispensable and is set to redefine the wireless industry – promising to significantly increase data rates, improve connection density, reduce latency, and strengthen connection security. But what impact will these improvements have on enterprise organisations?
While nobody can predict the future, by examining the impact of previous wireless generations on the business world, it's possible to gauge an idea of what's in store. Here are four likely trends driven forward by 5G in 2018.
1. Greater Customer Experience
Research from Salesforce indicates that 75% of people expect a consistent experience wherever they engage with brands, demonstrating that great CX has grown to become an expectation in the modern era. As 5G enables greater quantities of data to travel faster, current limitations of providing a great customer service are extinguished – instead of a chatbot with pre-programmed answers or a phone call with numerous responses think real-time video communication.
2. Internet of Things (IoT)
While IoT has grown to become common, 5G will enable IoT to be deployed on a massive scale. By 2020, Gartner estimate that there will be more than 20 billion installed IoT devices around the world, generating massive amounts of data. With access to this kind of information, industries of all kinds will be able to reach new levels of efficiency as they add products, services, and capabilities from insight gained from IoT devices.
3. Big Data
IoT will be a key part of 5G, creating reams upon reams of important information, but how this unstructured data is used is also an important part of that story. Big Data offers an opportunity to analyse these extremely large data sets to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, relating to consumer
4. Mobile Experience
5G, of course, will have a significant impact on the mobile broadband experience. Mobile workers form a large proportion of the workforce, including employees who travel between offices, work on the move, and frequently make business trips. With 5G allowing for the integration of 3D,
The 5G at the End of the Universe
Ultimately, the business case for 5G is compelling. It empowers mobile carriers and operators to provide a better quality of service that will transform the way enterprise organizations and their employees work and communicate with consumers.
But, despite the interest surrounding 5G, for at least at the moment, it's all just hypothetical. While the ability to vastly improve customer service is likely, the opportunity to integrate IoT and big data probable, and the revolution of managed mobility plausible, for now at least nobody knows what the future will hold or the challenges that will be faced in regards to implementation.
The Enterprise's Guide to 5G
It’s befitting to end this post the same way we began, with a Douglas Adams quote: To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.
No matter your decision – whether to embrace 5G as soon as it becomes commercially available or to decide to wait and see if the reality lives up to the hype – one thing is for certain, with Cass Telecom on your side, you can be sure that you’re getting a real service.
As market leaders in the telecom expense management (TEM) space, providing unparalleled customer satisfaction, we can offer our expertise, support, and advice as you transition through your 5G transformation project.
And, that’s not all.
With visibility into mobile carriers and a deep understanding of how they operate, we are perfectly placed to create the required visibility and control necessary so that when you implement 5G, you're in full control of your inventory. With the ability to terminate all unnecessary 4G devices and circuits as 5G comes on-line, you can eliminate additional fees, generating cost-savings across your enterprise.
