There are now over 80 5G networks that are commercially available worldwide and industries and businesses are jumping onto this technology to reap the benefits. As at now, more solid works needs to be done in terms of standards, ecosystems, technology and business models to bring together a complete workable concept. One thing is for sure though. 5G will drive future business.
These sentiments were captured at the Huawei 5G+ Better World Summit where various operators and industry players shared their experiences of how 5G applications can drive efficiency in the business and industry scene. It is predicted that the impact of 5G’s impact on the global GDB will be over USD7.5 Trillion by 2030, as compared to USD5.1 Trillion that 4G contributed in 2019. 5G, however, is likely to be most beneficial to the commercial sector. In other words, it is expected that 5G will transform businesses in the same way that 4G transformed consumers.
There are some industries that are already getting great benefits of 5G.
In China for example, the Ningbo Port is using 5G to power self driving container trucks, remote controlled cranes and viewing cranes in real time through HD video streaming. As per the Port’s estimation, efficiency will be increased by over 260% and working environment will be safer all thanks to 5G powered technologies.
I could be biased because I’m keen on farming but I find Agriculture among the most versatile candidates for technology. In Switzerland for instance, 5G is enabling smart farming methods and seeing significant impact on yields. These methods are such as imaging of wheat fields by drones, automated hoeing tractors that recognize plants and eliminate the weeds around them, and the use of automated robots that receive crucial data for farmers to use to use as insights into how they can optimize their processes.
Then there is the exciting field of smart factories where engineers are able to use remote controlled equipment and to watch production in real time through HD video. This kind of optimization by use of 5G is expected to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Healthcare is another area that is set to benefit immensely from 5G technology. For example, hospitals in Henan province have implemented a variety of impressive 5G-powered functionalities to improve their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was particularly important to minimize human-to-human contact, and allow doctors to support patients remotely, or whilst standing safely behind a screen.
These systems were installed within 82 hours and involved the building of remote systems for 147 hospitals in 18 cities within the province.
In these hospitals we are looking at self-driving vehicles to deliver equipment and sanitize facilities, remote surgery guidance, and robots to enable doctors to talk to patients. We are also looking at equipping ambulances which support first response teams with 50MB/s.
Imagine the possibilities of smart tourism. Imagine if a 5G enabled camera was strapped on an animal, surrounded by thousands of other animals during the migration, and you could experience that in high quality from home.
For tourists who come to Kenya, 5G will let customers use Augmented Reality on their phones or special wearable devices to experience tourist sites differently—just imagine overlaying images and seeing and hearing what Lamu Old Town and Port, or Fort Jesus used to look and sound like hundreds of years ago, or seeing some of the items in the National Museum in their original environment, or passing an item in a museum and immediately being able to see on your phone videos explaining it, or even helping you see inside it. Such experiences can not only enhance the visitor’s experience, but also generate additional revenue for the industry, and extend tourists’ stays.
The tourist of the future is here and 5G- enabled technologies will generate benefits across the whole economy value chain.
During the current pandemic 5G enables higher-quality broadcasting of tourism and wildlife attractions as well as in Virtual Reality to help with marketing and attracting tourists in the future.
Finally, hotels and tourist attractions can also use 5G to very quickly set-up wi-fi in hotels and wi-fi hotspots at tourist attractions which is a must nowadays.