Can consumers enjoy 5G in 2019?

5G is likely to be a ubiquitous part of our lives, and consumers are already looking forward to it. The ConsumerLab trend report 10 Hot Consumer Trends 2019* from Ericsson includes one where around 20% of smartphone users believe 5G will better connect Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as household appliances and utility meters, for example.

Source: CommScope.
Vohra.

CommScope’s VP of Service Provider Sales, APAC Navin Vohra noted that constant access to real-time information will be a major driver for consumer investment in IoT. “It was estimated that, by 2020, the total amount of data from the IoT will be 275 times higher than current data traffic being sent from data centres to end-user devices. The transfer of this massive data will require a future-ready network,” he said.

Kai Sahala, Head of 5G Sales, Asia Pacific and Japan, Nokia, emphasised that 5G should not be considered 4G+ nor a new version of a radio interface, but a complete redesigning of the network architecture.

“5G will deliver extreme broadband, ultra-reliable low-latency connectivity, and massive IoT to support many different use cases and business models. This is especially important for the companies in Asia Pacific, given how many of them are hungry for innovations that help support their growth,” he said.

Source: Nokia. Sahala.

“5G is especially important for communications service providers (CSPs) in the region as they are the ones to provide the network infrastructure that powers the region’s economy. By deploying 5G, CSPs will be able to play the instrumental role of connecting billions of IoT devices which will enable smart factories, where robots, sensors and remotely-located human operators are working in sync. This will effectively accelerate the region’s march towards Industry 4.0 – a critical success factor for Asia Pacific’s largely manufacturing-based economy.”

Enterprises are definitely preparing for it as well. The Keysight 2018 State of 5G Survey, announced in November 2018,  shows more than half (54%) of companies surveyed are already early adopters of 5G technologies, with 46% citing securing market leadership early in the 5G lifecycle as the primary driver for their investments. The study also found that more than two thirds of respondents said they are actively seeking 5G test solutions to accelerate the development or rollout out of 5G technology.

Most respondents (63%) of the Keysight survey expect higher reliability and lower latency to create the biggest impact from 5G technology. Respondents said the top three benefits of implementing 5G technology are faster networks, greater Internet of Things (IoT) enablement, and connected car proliferation.

“The fact that many respondents are looking for test solutions means that those inventing and deploying the technology want to ensure their implementations perform as expected while securing a market leadership position,” stated Roger Nichols, 5G Program Manager at Keysight Technologies at the time of the research announcement.

Vendors are definitely more than ready for the new connectivity standard, with many already planning for mainstream 5G. “In 2019, Nokia will be rolling out 5G services in the US, South Korea, Japan and China. Quite clearly, 2019 will be the year when 5G starts going mainstream,” shared Sahala.

“Closer to home in Singapore, we recently announced that Nokia, together with StarHub have completed the first outdoor pilot of 5G New Radio on 3.5GHz frequency band in Singapore. This helps pave the way for 5G in Singapore as communications service providers (CSPs) like StarHub will now be able to deliver the speeds, capacity and latency required to support enhanced mobile broadband services.”

Vohra focused on the need for supporting infrastructure to make 5G a reality. “While widespread deployment of 5G is not expected in 2019, network operators and partners will have to lay the foundation for their network infrastructures to prepare for the increased connectivity requirements,” he said.

Source: SolarWinds. Giese.

Sascha Giese, Head Geek, SolarWinds, agreed: “[2019] is expected to be all about 5G, but there is one element largely absent from the discussion: many companies are claiming 5G-readiness, but without the infrastructure to support it, we’ll be left with the same bandwidth speed as before...To be able to take advantage of all that 5G will have to offer, telco companies will need to increase their infrastructure investments. Operators will have to upgrade their 4G networks to cope with the growing demand in 2019.

“While 5G promises one of the biggest leaps in cellular data speeds yet, it will be rolled out in a similar way to previous generations, beginning in major cities and slowly rolling out to national and global coverage. Low frequency will be deployed first, but there will be a time delay, similar to when we all bought phones with LTE capabilities years before the benefits were fully available. In the year ahead, we predict there will be a growing awareness that while 5G innovation exists, the infrastructure will need significant time and investments to catch up.”

Source: WWT. Mistry.

Nilesh Mistry, VP, Head of Asia Pacific at World Wide Technology (WWT) said use cases will have to be tested thoroughly. “As we edge closer towards the expected rollout date of the 5G mobile network in 2020, the integration of connected sensors, IoT, analytics and AI will finally move off their initial trial phase and be put to actual use,” he said.

“Organisations need to work with external partners to work out test-case scenarios in controlled lab settings and ensure different technologies can synergise and operate well together with existing systems.”

Explore:

Browse the full list of 2018 round-ups and 2019 predictions in TechTrade Asia

*The insights in the report are based on Ericsson ConsumerLab’s global research activities over more than 23 years, and primarily draw on data from an online survey conducted during October 2018 of advanced Internet users in 10 influential cities across the world.