i3 - September/October 2018 - 44

Business

By Scott Steinberg

FO RWA R D ST R AT EG I E S

magine doing business in a
world where your desktop travels with you, operates seamlessly across mobile devices and
accesses the most cutting-edge applications instantaneously. Now picture
fleets of self-driving cars that steer
around traffic and pedestrians; workers
that enjoy hands-on training in ultraimmersive virtual reality environments;
and surgeons in Singapore that use
ultra-responsive robots to operate in
real-time on patients in Seattle.
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

That's the promise of 5G high-speed
wireless networks from providers like
AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile,
whose fiber-optic-like transfer speeds
will reinvent the business world by
enabling faster downloads, greater
responsiveness and smarter connectivity than anything before. But consumer tech leaders must change their
strategy to effectively capitalize on
these innovations and maintain a
competitive edge.
According to Gartner, more than
21 billion devices will connect to the
internet by 2020, with 5.5 million
more added each day. Also nearly
three-quarters of the workforce will
be mobile (and nearly-three quarters
of digital spending will originate
from smartphones) in the next three
years. As a result, consumer tech
brands must reconsider their products and services, and the high-tech
backbones they use to support operations. They'll also have to redesign
these solutions for speed, flexibility,
cost-savings and performance, and
rethink how they leverage the tools
that 5G technology provides (e.g.
faster speeds, deeper data insights
and greater virtualization) to create
more effective frameworks to power
tomorrow's solutions.

Advances in 5G

Vast amounts of data downloaded
in seconds will allow tech brands
to design and power thousands of
connected devices. Industries like
healthcare and retail can also piggyback on these innovations to
create more intelligent and
responsive robots, apps and electronics of every kind.
Offering more reliable connectivity, 5G will allow global workers to
more effectively collaborate to build
breakthrough ideas. A multitude of

always-on, artificially intelligent
apps; hyper-intelligent robots and
innovative home solutions; and augmented and virtual reality tools will
fundamentally change how we interact with our surroundings.
Imagine self-aware cities whose
artificially intelligent minds can regulate traffic flows, coordinate emergency relief efforts and manage
home energy consumption. Or cutting-edge medical devices that help
doctors scan for the presence of
injury or illness and successfully
treat conditions in minutes.
Factories staffed by robot helpers
that seamlessly work alongside
humans, sending productivity levels
through the stratosphere. Or retail
settings in which deliveries and customer service requests are processed
by computer-controlled apps so real
it's as if you are interacting with
another person.
5G networks threaten to exponentially multiply the scale at which
market leaders will be forced to
innovate. These advances will enable
brands to disrupt entire industries
from virtually anywhere on the
planet using a connected device.
They'll also enable organizations to
easily access millions of connected
sensors, devices and data points -
giving enterprises the tools and
insights needed for groundbreaking
solutions. Making it possible to
seamlessly operate across far-flung
locations and commercial boundaries, 5G technology will enable companies to digest more data, predict
market shifts and tackle challenges
on a greater scale.
Are you ready for the market shifts
5G will usher in? If not, consider
now what disruptions 5G tech will
bring, and how you must embrace
it to stay ahead of the curve.
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

Daniel Hertzberg/iSpot Illustration

How will 5G Revolutionize Tech?

i3 - September/October 2018

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