5G mobile network is coming, bringing faster speeds, more reliable connectivity and higher capacity than were possible before. This new era in mobile communications is likely to be of big benefit for business, but there’s still some confusion around 5G and how it will affect businesses.

5G is not to be rolled out at once and will start in urban areas and then spread to rural areas and towns. However, 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) will initially be rolled out in non-urban locations.

Faster speeds.

In the coming year, 5G initially equated to much faster speeds. 5G can deliver up to 1Gigabit per second capacity at least 10 times faster for businesses.

Higher speeds and less buffering means modern business functions such as video streaming, conferencing, and remote training can be delivered to very high quality. 5G will also have the effect of making true remote working a real possibility, since it will enable people to perform all of their work from any location as if they were based in head office, with the same high speed connectivity and access to all necessary functions.

Lower latency.

5G will also introduce lower latency. It will enable companies with manufacturing sites to use remote supervision and control essentially, to create smart factories where everything is fully automated, without the need for manual intervention.

Previously, there were too many buffers in the way of delivering a smooth, immersive training experience via the mobile network, but 5G has the potential to make remote training a real possibility – a real time and money saver for businesses.

IoT everywhere.

5G will also usher in increased numbers of connected devices, by allowing businesses to put sensors or IoT units in various parts of their business or into infrastructure.  This will drive further evolution of smart electricity metering, smart agriculture, or high-quality logistics with easier tracking of packages or containers and improved fleet management.

Planning for 5G.

5G will affect devices, since current 4G models won’t be compatible with the new network. So, a business should start thinking about its mobile device management strategy in preparation for 5G.

In many cases, businesses are already working together with their technology partners to test new applications that take advantage of the connectivity. While this is happening mainly at corporate level, it could also be possible for small businesses too.

5G brings collaboration between companies, mobile operators and technology partners to a different level. Working together from the early stages, even before the 5G network is deployed, allows everyone to identify and develop applications and use cases, which can benefit the companies, make business more efficient, save on cost and bring innovation.