The Future Of 5G: Benefits And Challenges

Nick Cherukuri is founder and CEO of Third Eye. He was a Forbes U30 and E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. Published patents and spoke at CES.

Over the coming decades, 5G is expected to bring many benefits to individuals and society as a whole, along with some challenges. Some of the ways it can change humanity include the following:

• Increased connectivity: 5G technology is expected to provide faster and more reliable Internet connections, enabling more devices to connect to the Internet and enabling new technologies and applications with lower latency (less than 10 ms).

• Improved communication: 5G is expected to enable faster and more efficient communication, both between people and between machines. This can lead to better cooperation and coordination, both within organizations and between individuals.

• Enhanced experiences: 5G is expected to enable new and improved experiences in areas such as virtual and augmented reality, gaming and video streaming.

• Increased productivity: 5G is expected to enable new ways of working and doing business, such as remote collaboration and automation, which can increase productivity and efficiency.

5G, Augmented Reality and the metaverse

The augmented reality (AR) metaverse is one area in the news lately that 5G is expected to have a tremendous impact on. Although most of the world still relies on 4G LTE or lower, once every country makes the necessary investments in 5G by laying out the infrastructure, people will be able to download files like movies and 3D holograms much faster.

5G technology is also expected to play a major role in the development and growth of the metaverse by providing the high-speed, low-latency connectivity that will be needed to support immersive and interactive experiences. Here are some other applications that are expected to play an important role in 5G:

• Enable real-time collaboration: 5G technology is expected to enable people to communicate and collaborate in real time in virtual environments without the delays and lag currently experienced on slower networks. For example, companies such as Microsoft and ThirdEye enable remote AR telepresence using a 3D hologram, which means that the senior expert does not need to be on site.

• Supports high quality content: 5G technology is expected to enable the creation and delivery of high-quality content, such as 3D graphics, video and audio, which are essential for immersive and engaging experiences in the metaverse.

• Enable new apps and services: 5G technology is expected to enable new applications and services in the metaverse, such as virtual education, virtual healthcare and virtual tourism, which are currently not possible due to the limitations of existing networks.

• Expand the Metaverse beyond the gaming industry: 5G technology is expected to enable the metaverse to expand beyond the gaming industry and into other areas, such as business, entertainment and social networking.

5G and enterprise cases

There are many possible ways in which 5G technology could be used in enterprise settings, including the following:

• Improved collaboration: 5G technology can enable remote teams to collaborate in real time with high quality audio and video and low latency, using virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) tools.

• Improved customer experiences: 5G technology can enable businesses to provide enhanced customer experiences, such as through the use of VR/AR for product demonstrations and personalized shopping experiences.

• Increased productivity: 5G technology can enable businesses to automate processes and tasks and to use data and analytics to make more informed decisions, potentially leading to increased productivity and efficiency.

• Enhanced Security: 5G technology can enable businesses to implement more secure and reliable networks, as well as use security solutions such as blockchain and biometric authentication.

• Improved supply chain management: 5G technology can enable businesses to use IoT devices and sensors to track and manage their supply chain, potentially leading to improved visibility and efficiency.

Challenges of 5G

Overall, 5G technology has the potential to improve many aspects of business operations and can help businesses remain competitive in the digital economy. It is also expected to improve many aspects of our lives and society, but its full impact remains to be seen. However, there are also some negative aspects to consider, including the following:

• Health Concerns: Some people have raised concerns about the potential health effects of 5G, such as the possibility for increased exposure to radio frequency (RF) radiation. However, the World Health Organization and other scientific bodies have concluded that the levels of RF radiation emitted by 5G technology are within safe limits.

• Economic impact: The deployment of 5G technology may result in some job losses, especially in industries disrupted by the technology.

• Security risks: As with any new technology, 5G networks can be vulnerable to security threats, such as hacking and cyber attacks.

• Privacy Issues: The increased use of data and connected devices enabled by 5G technology may raise concerns about personal privacy.

• Inequality: The deployment and adoption of 5G technology may exacerbate existing economic and social inequalities, as access to the technology may not be evenly distributed.

• Cost: 5G service will likely be more expensive than current 4G service, at least initially. One reason for this is that the deployment of 5G networks requires significant investment in infrastructure, such as the installation of new antennas and other equipment. These costs are likely to be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for 5G service. In addition, 5G technology offers many advanced features and capabilities that are not available with current 4G networks, such as higher speeds and lower delays. These improved features may also be reflected in the prices charged for 5G service. However, as the technology becomes more widespread and competition among service providers increases, the prices for 5G service may eventually drop.

Overall, there are both positive and negative aspects to the deployment of 5G. Yet combining this technology with advanced hardware in the AR/AI spaces in the enterprise sectors could create billions in value.

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?