The next-generation mobile phone network, 5G, is opening new opportunities for businesses to innovate and discover new ways of working. As the rollout of 5G continues, businesses are beginning to discover how they can apply it and make tangible gains in productivity or efficiency.
"5G can be a significant competitive advantage for your business. The increased speed that you get with 5G is really only one component of the changes that it brings," says Stephen Mulligan, enterprise technology consultant with Three Business.
One of 5G’s strengths is its low latency, or delay. This means, in effect, that it offers near instantaneous communication, which opens up new possibilities and use cases that weren’t available before.
Another of 5G’s most attractive characteristics is its high density, according to Mulligan. As anyone who has tried to call, text, or go online from a busy concert venue – when we had such things – will know, the mobile network frequently slows to a crawl or simply stops because there are so many people trying to use it at the same time from the same location.
The 5G network removes this problem because it’s designed to handle many more connected devices in a small area than previous mobile networks could, with no loss of connection quality.
“In a setting like a factory or a farm, this capability can be used to connect multiple IoT [Internet of Things] sensors in a small area, and get valuable information about the productivity of machines, or check for signs of wear and tear and prevent them from breaking down, saving money in the process,” Mulligan points out.
Global 5G technology leader Ericsson has been developing 5G test sites for manufacturers to pilot 'factory of the future' applications which include layering augmented reality on top of the IoT network. "That's a very productive solution. It's becoming commonplace to help with diagnostics," says Dr Peter Marshall, a 5G ambassador with Ericsson.
Businesses can also use 5G to get real-time performance indicators about robotics or their air conditioning system. They can improve output from a production line or save money by carrying out preventative maintenance. "A remote expert could look after a factory 24/7: someone monitoring it from the USA, handing over to someone in Ireland, and then India, " adds Marshall.
“Using 5G to control driverless pallets could drastically reduce emissions, making them useful and cost-effective in settings like a food warehouse,” Marshall adds.
5G enabled virtual reality can also be used for more immersive learning environments. A UK university trialled the technology with medical students and reported that a 20-minute period of virtual reality augmented education was more effective than a three-hour workshop. “That intense, accelerated learning provided a lot more value to the medical students,” Marshall notes.
Long-term goals
Businesses seeking to understand how 5G could impact them need to start with their long-term strategic goal and work back from that, Marshall advises. That process is less about technology and more about company culture, he emphasises. This helps to identify smaller steps to take along the way, to deliver on that outcome.
“Making the most of 5G will also involve a partnership approach using an ‘ecosystem’ that includes hardware companies, mobile providers and experts in robotics, software or content,” Marshall adds.
“Ask what you want to achieve in the long term, do some strategic thinking about your long-term environment and say: what can we put in place today to put an extra step in the right direction? Who needs to be involved, and when?”
Three’s Ireland rollout of the 5G network is continuing at pace. As of February 2021, it had more than 500 5G sites across Ireland. That number will have grown to more than 800, covering 58 per cent of the population, by the end of the year.
Part of the reason for the rapid rollout schedule is the increase in the amount of data travelling on the Three network, which has been rising by 42 per cent year on year. "Each year, there's been huge growth in the volume of data and we're expecting that to continue," says Declan Gaffney, director of radio-access networks at Three Ireland.
Three is aiming for ubiquitous coverage within two years and it expects this will make its 5G broadband service an attractive option in locations that can’t get reliable fibre broadband.
And that will open up a vast range of possibilities for users. “5G is only limited, in my opinion, by people’s imagination and what they want to achieve with that,” says Marshall.