We’ve talked about it before, but 5G is upon us.
Chances are, if you live in a major metropolitan area (and pay attention to your surroundings), you’ve seen 5G towers being erected every few blocks. As cell companies invest in the infrastructure to build out a 5G network nationwide, we’ll be seeing more and more of these towers in the coming months and years.
Those of us who live in areas with 5G network access (and 5G-equipped smartphones) are already feeling the difference. Blazing fast speeds–some 600 times fast than 4G, at best–are now available at the tip of a finger and without WiFi. 4K videos on the beach? No problem! Downloading a large presentation while working in the park? Why not? The opportunities truly seem endless.
Of course, as a recent article in Forbes argues, 5G isn’t just exciting for consumers. The technology also holds significant promise in the enterprise.
As Murli Thirumale discusses, “5G falls squarely into [the] disruptive camp,” and can “increase device density by up to 100 times per unit area and bring latency down to 1 millisecond.” Compared to what we currently have, that’s pretty impressive.
When imagining the impact to the enterprise, Thirumale talks through a few possibilities. In manufacturing, for instance, connected objects could increase quality control and enhance supply chain management. In the energy sector, 5G could enable widespread smart grids to allow for more efficient distribution of energy. And in health, personalized virtual services could have a big impact on care for people without easy access to a hospital.
In imagining these possibilities–and how 5G might transform your enterprise mobility strategy–planning should be at the forefront. After all, you can’t embrace 5G if you don’t have your technology house in order.
At App47, we’re excited like Thirumale is for the future of 5G, specifically as it relates to enterprise mobility. We imagine all the things companies currently do with enterprise mobility–secure patient data for healthcare workers in the field, streamline customer service for sales reps in client meetings, help large companies onboard new employees no matter where they are–and how they could be enhanced with even easier access to large amounts of bandwidth.
All of that said, only the companies with strong enterprise mobility strategies in place will be best poised to take advantage of this new tech. If you start with a disheveled plan, you’ll have trouble getting the most out of 5G. As for us? We’re excited to see what the future holds. We truly think that 5G will be a big step forward for companies looking to continue enhancing mobile work.
Thinking about the future of 5G, and want to know how to start building out your enterprise mobility strategy to take advantage? Contact us today. We’d love to chat!
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Photo by Frederik Lipfert on Unsplash
