5 mins | 1000 words
The 5G train is leaving the station and it’s time to get on board. Is your sensor system, IoT or mobile-based app ready? Here are five reasons WHY you must test your 5G compatibility today.
1 – 5G Networks are being deployed
FACT: Do you know T-Mobile now covers 287 million people with Extended Range 5G? Similarly, AT&T announced its 5G network now covers 250 million US citizens. That’s the majority of USA that can access 5G service.
From a regional perspective, Asia has taken the lead with 5G coverage in 528 cities; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) is now in second place with 459 cities; and the Americas region remains in third place with 5G available across 349 cities. In China, the number of cities with 5G grew six-fold in one year,while coverage in the U.S. increased by a factor of five.
WHY: For IoT devices, AR/VR, and remotely connected products, 5G represents a market opportunity that is growing quickly. Given the penetration and coverage with 5G, you must test your 5G compatibility. Your enterprise clients need to know you are ready and your consumer clients have more 5G options today than ever before.
2 – 5G Phones are shipping
5G compatible phones like the Apple iPhone 12 and Samsung S21 are shipping around the globe.
FACT: Approximately 700 million 5G compatible phones will ship in 2021.
WHY: While phones aren’t the dominant business case for 5G networks, if your application operates on a mobile device, you’ll need to know how 5G networks and 5G compatible phones affect your deployment.
What is the impact of 5G networks on your application? Can you deploy on the very low-cost narrow-band IoT spectrum? Does your application blast data up to 5Gbps? What about edge computing to reduce latency? Are there elements of your application that should be deployed at the edge to provide users with a seamless experience?
The best way to answer these questions is to get onto a pre-commercial 5G network with dedicated customer support. Experiment, play around, find your niche.
3 – 5G Networks are creating new business models
FACT: For devices that create a small amount of data (100kbps), 5G networks will support up to one million devices per square kilometer and operate on a battery for up to ten-years. Think about the impact a more connected world will have on everything from smart farms to healthcare. But that’s not all.
If you’re a gamer, you’ll call it lag. In business, latency appears as lacking responsivity. Slow network speeds, insufficient bandwidth, or peak-traffic bottlenecks will be a thing of the past as 5G’s speed and capacity overcomes all these problems, cutting response time down from 50 milliseconds (with 4G networks) to just one millisecond.
WHY: Powering industrial AR, VR IoT sensors and robotics, 5G enables virtual connections and new ways to manage operations, stay ahead of the competition and never miss a beat.
The best way to understand how 5G networks will impact your business model is to get on the network and test it and talk to experts.
4 – 5G Networks provide five 9’s reliability
FACT: Five 9’s reliability means the system works 99.999% of the time – the kind of reliability we expect from our devices and applications. Just as cloud computing moved most enterprise computer rooms into the cloud, 5G networks will move most enterprise switch/router closets into the network.
Just like cloud computing relies on a third party to have processing power on demand and always maintain the latest (security-patched) OS, so too will 5G networks move network maintenance into the network.
This means dedicated third party providers will manage connectivity wherever you are in the world. You’ll be able to instantly respond to anyone, anywhere, – whether you’re at home, the airport or on the commute, and access the benefits of bandwidth-hungry tech like AR and VR in new and exciting ways.
WHY: This changing business model creates opportunity. Businesses need to know their internal networks are secure. Outsourcing intranet connections to 5G network providers supports end-to-end network security. Furthermore, enterprises can’t always provide network access to support other services, like HVAC. These providers can operate on their own private 5G network giving the purchasing organization peace of mind and the provider reliable connectivity.
5 – 5G Devices can ship globally with easy provisioning
FACT: Compared to the number of IoT devices and machine-to-machine communications, the 700-million phones expected to ship in 2021 are a drop in the bucket. Rather than the traditional plastic SIM card, next generation devices will use embedded eSIM (electronic subscriber identity module). ESIMS allows a device to be shipped anywhere in the world and automatically connect to a preferred network. This significantly reduces deployment and provisioning costs.
WHY: As a business, 5G will enable you to track the status of all your provisioned devices across any network. You’re won’t necessarily be able to see what they’re doing (that’s your customer’s data), but you will be able to see how they’re doing. Is your client using your product? Are they operating correctly? With eSIM enabled 5G devices you’ll know and respond, perhaps before your client even knows they have a problem.
Find out More
Businesses operating in Ontario and Quebec have unique access to the ENCQOR network. This small-scale 5G network is identical to the networks currently being deployed globally. It operates over low, medium and high frequency spectrums. Each deployment also has significant edge processing capability. Best of all, the ENCQOR network includes dedicated support who can answer your provisioning and debug questions.
Time is running out! The ENCQOR 5G test facility and associated support are funded through March 2022. There are less than six-months remaining to take advantage of the current offer – free access to a commercial 5G network for test purposes. Connect with Invest Ottawa to find out more.
Being curious about 5G is a good first step. Turn curiosity into action and test your 5G compatibility today.