5G: a new era

23

September

2021

4/5 (1)

5G. You probably heard about the many conspiracy theories saying Covid-19 was caused by the 5G networks. 5G is the newest generation of cellular networks. It is not only an upgrade of the existing 4G network in terms of speed; 5G is transforming the world as we know it.

5G enables many different opportunities for business and may completely change the workings of whole industries. Besides improving mobile broadband – 5G is up to 100 times faster than 4G -, 5G enables massive machine type communication and critical real-time communication. Massive machine type communication connects machines through the Internet of Things (IoT). Real-time traffic management and connectivity between home devices are applications that can now be improved because of 5G. Critical real-time communication enables consistent responses in real time through 5G’s high reliability and ultra-low latency. This is important for enhanced responsiveness in autonomous cars and remote surgery in the healthcare sector.

As you can see, 5G will play an important role in many different industries. McKinsey researched how 5G could be deployed in the mobility, healthcare, manufacturing and retail industries and found that these four sectors alone could boost global GDP by $1.2 to $2 trillion by 2030. While this seems very promising, technology is not there yet.

Since 5G is still evolving, there are also some concerns. Most of them are related to security issues. IoT can connect millions of devices, which could lead to more vulnerabilities and breaches in security points. Also, the increased speed and volume of 5G might give difficulties in monitoring security. Some people even have health concerns, even though it was proven that 5G radiation will not affect health.   

I however believe 5G can lead to many great opportunities, especially in healthcare and mobility, and increase efficiency and reliability in these sectors. I really like the quote of KPN: “4G connected people, 5G connects all of society”. In what sector do you think 5G can play an important role?

Sources:

https://www.overons.kpn/en/kpn-in-the-netherlands/our-network/5g

Click to access making-5g-pay.pdf

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/connected-world-an-evolution-in-connectivity-beyond-the-5g-revolution

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Europe and the 5G Challenge

22

September

2020

In September 2020, the European Round Table for Industry published a report on the EU-27’s advancements in 5G technologies. This article briefly explains the findings of this report and the causes behind such results.

5/5 (1) With the competition for the development of 5G networks increasing every day, companies all around the world have been playing a tense chess game for the leadership of this game-changing technology. However, as the chairman of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), Carl-Henric Svanberg, said in an interview with the Financial times, it seems that Europe is left far behind in this race for 5G technology, with an approach that could probably result in a great failure driving investments down.

 

On September 18th 2020, the RTE published a report in which the 27 Member States of the European Union and their advancements in both 5G and 4G were analysed and assessed. This report identified a gap between the European Union and other powerful economies throughout the globe. For instance, it points out how both the US and South Korea have 5G commercial services available since a year ago, South Korea counting with 1,500 base stations per million capita; whereas the majority of Member States have not even launched 5G commercial services and, in total, they have only ten 5G stations deployed per million capita.

 

The contrast between these economies’ progression in 5G networks can be in great part explained by the diversity of countries within the European Union and the differences among them. In the European Union, Member States are characterised by their own particular political and economic situation as well as the political and economic situation which groups the European Union as a single economic power. Therefore, it is hard to coordinate the diversity of high and inconsistent costs, and returns on investment throughout the various States.

 

Despite Europe’s potential in the digital innovation spectrum which drives the emergence of various start-up hubs such as Amsterdam, Berlin and Lisbon; the region seems to be left behind in the roll-out of 5G networks. A key factor hampering this progress is spectrum availability and spectrum licensing. With many European telecoms allocated in narrower bandwidth and spectrum licensing being specially costly for some particular countries, the roll-out of 5G faces a complicated and uncertain environment which derives in several restrictions on innovation, investment, and network deployment.

 

Moreover, while China’s technological and networking company, Huawei, progresses in their development of 5G networks, the US Government moves quickly to stop the internationalisation of their advancements. This has driven European economies into a further state of confusion and blockage. Outside the European Union, the United Kingdom has sided with the US and in July 2020 it banned new Huawei, resulting in both a delay by two to three years of the 5G phone networks rollout, and an increase of cost by £2bn. This example draws a clearer image on the potentially self-sabotaging and slow advancements of Europe as a whole.

 

All factors combined result in the current slow evolution of 5G networks in Europe compared to the advancements of other powerful economies such as China, South Korea, and the US. It is now crucial for the European Union to think about strategies to overcome the obstacles it faces both internally and externally to avoid further economic turmoil and boost its own technological strengths for the development of 5G, avoiding

 

References

ERT, 2020. Assessment of 5G Deployment Status in Europe. Available at: https://ert.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ERT-Assessment-of-5G-Deployment-Status-in-Europe_September-2020.pdf [Accessed September 22, 2020].

Lemstra, W., 2018. Leadership with 5G in Europe: Two contrasting images of the future, with policy and regulatory implications.

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Urban 5G, and the return of physical

9

September

2020

4.75/5 (4) 5G is front-page news. While the debates in countries and continents are ongoing for whether Huawei should be banned from building the 5G networks (Keane, n.d.), the negativity essentially distracts businesses from its opportunities. No matter which company will install the network, being it Huawei, Ericsson or Nokia, 5G will certainly soon be widespread, and companies should already consider its opportunities. Larger companies already anticipate on the benefits of 5G, as in the case of autonomous driving, of which 5G is a key requirement (Form et al., n.d.), and where a large advertising and entertainment market is predicted (Iansiti et al., 2018). How are 5G advances expected to change daily life, and can companies tap into its fruitful benefits?

5G connects
5G is expected the shape and reshape many industries. Key to these advances is the faster and reliable connectivity that 5G offers. IoT devices can communicate with each other in an astounding fashion. I have mentioned autonomous driving in the introduction, but there are many more examples of 5G’s influence, such as logistics – using robotics in combination with 5G – and even agriculture (Reisinger, 2020). However, unless you work in farming or in a warehouse, you will not notice much of it, besides faster delivery and cheaper vegetables.

The most significant felt developments will most likely be in transport, cities and retail experiences. With regards to transportation, an interconnected network of traffic and public transport will be fueled by 5G. For instance, think of an interconnected system, where traffic lights are connected to cars, adjusting to traffic, where data about parking spots are monitored and shared in real-time, and where public transport (e.g. subways, trams) is interconnected for more effective public transit (Intel Corporation, n.d.a). With these efficiencies, it is expected that, because of 5G, 250M of commuting hours will be saved by 2035 (Lanctot et al., 2017).

With regards to retail, new in-store experiences, in-store analytics and supply chain efficiencies will boost the Smart Retail Market’s size to approximately $58.23 billion by 2025 (Grand View Research, 2018). Consumers will experience personalized shopping in physical locations. AI, powered by 5G efficiencies, can detect customer moods and therefore detect the need for assistance. Further, shopping can be personalized, by connecting to personal data – in combination with smart signage – in order to provide targeted offers and discounts. Further possibilities range from 5G powered autonomous stores, delivery efficiencies and connected pop-up shops (Intel Corporation, n.d.b).

Opportunities
A few hub firms – such as Google, Apple and Amazon – will most likely take advantage of the 5G possibilities early on, and try to expand their platforms even more. Therefore, integrating your business with these platforms and gaining exposure will be increasingly important. For instance, in the case you can order your self-driving car to the nearest best-option restaurant via Google or you commute via Apple and would like to have lunch, being the top option is going to be more important than ever.

With 5G, it is possible to provide consumers a personalized experience at a physical store or location. At the moment, this experience is only available in the online space. Retail companies in a variety of industries as well as developers could tap into this opportunity by start thinking of ways to personalize stores and connect digital with physical. For instance, cameras, in combination with face recognition software, could monitor customers’ responses to certain products, which triggers real-time personal recommendations with the use of the 5G network.

For this to happen, retailers and manufacturers should re-investigate their data potential. The presence and usefulness of consumer data can increasingly influence the competitiveness of an enterprise in the physical sphere. Collecting and leveraging it early can provide a head-start. Therefore, a strong online presence now is going to be fundamental for the ‘new’ physical presence in the near future.

Going physical
Certainly, more aspects of life will be influenced by the appearance of 5G. The online sphere will be more and better connected, leading to better services on that front, just like 4G has done. However, 5G is going to be different than 4G, in the sense that the physical world will be influenced to a much larger extent. The interconnectivity of 5G will provide efficiencies and an enormous data potential that ranges from better commute to personalized physical shopping. Companies should be aware of these opportunities by gaining exposure, gathering data early on, and developing ways to connect physical with digital.

References
Form, A., Born, M., Freyberg, A. and Scheck, F. (n.d.). 5G: a key requirement for autonomous driving—really? [online] Kearney. Available at: https://www.kearney.com/communications-media-technology/article/?/a/5g-a-key-requirement-for-autonomous-driving-really- [Accessed 9 Sep. 2020].

Grand View Research (2018). Smart Retail Market Size Worth $58.23 Billion By 2025. [online] Grand View Research. Available at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-smart-retail-market [Accessed 9 Sep. 2020].

Iansiti, M., & Lakhani, K. R. 2018. Managing our hub economy. Harvard Business Review, 96(1), 17-17.

Intel Corporation (n.d.a). Intel Infographic: 5G Smart Cities. [online] Intel. Available at: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/wireless-network/5g-smart-cities-infographic.html [Accessed 9 Sep. 2020a].

Intel Corporation (n.d.b). This Is 5G Revolutionizing Retail On Intel. [online] Intel. Available at: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/wireless-network/5g-technology/5g-retail.html [Accessed 9 Sep. 2020b].

Keane, S. (n.d.). Huawei ban timeline: India will reportedly phase Huawei gear out as border tensions rise. [online] CNET. Available at: https://www.cnet.com/news/huawei-ban-full-timeline-us-restrictions-china-trump-executive-order-android-google-ban/ [Accessed 9 Sep. 2020].

Lanctot, R., Ambrosio, C., Cohen, H. and Riches, I. (2017). Accelerating The Future: The Economic Impact Of The Emerging Passenger Economy. [online] Strategy Analytics. Strategy Analytics. Available at: https://newsroom.intel.com/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2017/05/passenger-economy.pdf [Accessed 9 Sep. 2020].

Reisinger, D. (2020). How 5G promises to revolutionize farming. [online] Fortune. Available at: https://fortune.com/2020/02/28/5g-farming/.

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The borderless future of health care

4

October

2019

No ratings yet. Telesurgery and robotics enable the healthcare industry to be at its best anywhere, anytime in the world. But is this realistic?

The healthcare industry is in great move, where hospitals and health clinics are not but the patient is key and at centre. The main technology that can currently provide borderless health care is telesurgery. In other words, when 5G and robotics are combined, surgery can be done from any place on earth on anybody anywhere on the planet, without any geographical limitations. The location of patients gets a subordinate role to access of top-quality health care.

Obviously, this has great impact on future surgery, now quality surgery is available from unlimited distances, even in developing countries where top quality health care is lacking. Moreover, these areas are very hard to reach for doctors, it would be a great time safer if they could work from ‘home’. Additionally, doctors from all over the world can now work together. For example, a patient needs a very tough and complicated brain surgery and only very few people know how to execute the operation. Moreover, performance increases and the most modern techniques can be used as telesurgery make use of robotics. Human imprecision, tremors and clumsiness can now be eliminated. (Choi et al. 2018)

5G is currently quickly expanding and rolled-out widely across the globe. According to Ericsson Mobility Report June 2019 (2019) up to 65% global population, or 1.9 billion people, could have access to 5G by 2024. 5G is the fifth generation of wireless mobile network technology. Speed, bandwidth and reaction time on this new network will improve drastically. Enabling fast and stable network. However, it is mostly adopted in crowded and wealthy regions, developing countries need to overcome some hurdles first. For example, energy sources need to be stable and powerful, coverage cannot be guaranteed with too little signal and users and the government needs to subsidize users and implementation. (Chiaraviglio et al., 2016)

In conclusion, telesurgery is a big step in the right direction for reaching SDG3 (“Health – United Nations Sustainable Development”, 2019), good health and well-being for everyone. Limitations are that the changes will only take place at a slow pace since it is a very robust, inflexible industry. It is not agile and not sensitive to disruptive technologies. Moreover, the benefit will really be visible once 5G is implemented more widely, not just in a few advanced countries.

 

References:

Chiaraviglio, L., Blefari-Melazzi, N., Liu, W., Gutierrez, J. A., Van De Beek, J., Birke, R. & Wu, J. (2016, November). 5G in rural and low-income areas: Are we ready? In 2016 ITU Kaleidoscope: ICTs    for a Sustainable World (ITU WT) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.

Choi, P. J., Oskouian, R. J. & Tubbs, R. S. (2018). Telesurgery: Past, Present, and Future, Cureus.

Ericsson Mobility Report June 2019. (2019). Retrieved 4 October 2019, from

https://www.ericsson.com/en/mobility-report/reports/june-2019

Health – United Nations Sustainable Development. (2019). Retrieved 4 October 2019, from         https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/health/

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