By RJ Bardsley
Last year Accenture published a study on the economic impact of 5G. The study, linked at the bottom of this post, estimates that 5G will add about $1.5 trillion to US GDP and up to 16 million American jobs by 2025. It’s a great report and one worth reading. It does a lot to get the imagination going about what 5G can mean for technology innovation in three ways - enhanced mobile broadband, IoT and new services. This report looks out over several years, but if you’re like me, you’re wondering what we’ll see happen this year. Well, I’m currently stuck on a plane and I’ve found my mind wandering, so I'm sharing: Here are a few “5G things” I’m curious about…
Smarter Shapes? How will devices change to handle 5G? You could argue that the larger screens of the foldable devices already represent bandwidth-driven design. After all you don’t need a tablet-size screen for 2G/3G mobile web. But is that all? What about holographic screens or tactile communications? Perhaps the increase in 5G networks will spur the new segment - the touchy phone?
Smarter Edges? AI alone is reinventing our approach to almost everything. Right now AI requires significant computing power. But as we get swarths of high bandwidth connectivity, we have the potential to make every part of the IoT smarter. This could mean that we live in a world where everything is smart... What if your keys know if you’re not fit to drive; your pillow knows when you’ve gotten a good night sleep (maybe it can even share that data with your coffee maker); or your garden spade knows you planted those bulbs just a little too deep?
Smarter Art? What about 5G Performance Art? What if we’re focusing on only part of the equation here? What if the magic of super fast, super reliable, ubiquitous connectivity unlocks a whole new era for art? What if the network becomes the medium and we can see innovative artists use 5G as a new way to express and connect?
Oh well, I guess time will tell. #technology#innovation#5g
Link to the Accenture Study is here: