In the discussion about digital innovation, a lot of attention is devoted to the Internet of Things, edge computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
However, society is not aware of the actual progress taking place in these fields. 4G and LTE 4G standards had a major impact on initiating digital transformation in these areas, but only 5G will take it to the next level. Vertiv experts conducted an analysis of the areas where the new data transmission standard will enable rapid development. Below we present selected ones.
The beginning of the 5G era poses a challenge for the IT industry: identifying the solutions that will use this technology most effectively and generate high revenue to finance further innovation.
Augmented reality (AR) and haptic computing
The application areas of augmented reality (AR - augmented reality) range from advanced gaming, through visualization of imaging test results in medicine, to equipment servicing and military training. Meanwhile, haptic computing is a method that allows tactile control of computer applications and can be used in combination with AR. An example of its use is interaction with virtual 3D objects during space design.
Moreover, thanks to these tools, medical students can virtually practice delicate surgical techniques while feeling what it is like, for example, to suture blood vessels or perform other procedures requiring precision. Equipment service technicians, in turn, can gain quick access to three-dimensional models or other visualizations that facilitate diagnosing and repairing devices, including remotely. In the defense sector, augmented reality and haptic computing will help prepare for dangerous tasks such as defusing explosive charges.
– Of fundamental importance for the continuous improvement of these applications is the ability to move from operating mainly in fixed locations to serving mobile users without affecting the quality of experience – says Piotr Wójcik, Director of Key Account Sales in Poland and the Baltic countries at Vertiv. – The higher throughput and lower latency provided by the 5G standard are crucial for this process.
Virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR – Virtual Reality) significantly increases the scope of challenges related to content delivery. Transmitting VR video at quality close to television (Full HD) requires bandwidth of around 80-100 megabits per second compared with 5 Mb/s for streaming ordinary high-resolution video. In this situation, the 5G standard can help deliver high-quality virtual reality over the network.
There are also reasons to believe that users will be willing to pay for this kind of experience. For example, the world's most popular basketball league – the National Basketball Association (NBA) – introduced virtual reality to game broadcasts for the first time in the 2016-2017 season and significantly expanded its offering in subsequent years. The number of supported VR headsets was increased, and fans were enabled to watch live games with friends in virtual courtside seats. League officials saw this as a way to grow the number of fans worldwide by recreating the live experience for those who cannot attend games.
Smart cities
Smart cities
What benefits will 5G technology bring in smart cities?
Another area that could benefit greatly from the rollout of 5G is smart cities. The applications used there require immediate processing of huge amounts of data using a mechanism based on constantly improving machine learning algorithms. However, the related activities do not take place in real time, but over days, weeks, or months. The problem in this case is not so much latency, but the volume of data.
5G is crucial for the efficiency of managing sensors and the information coming from them. The aggregation of hundreds or thousands of such devices, which in turn must have access to data from many external sources such as weather, events, planned roadworks, and accidents, makes 5G an element of critical importance for the future of smart cities.
To get an idea of the amount of data generated in a smart city, it is worth citing the example of the city of Santander in Spain. More than 12,000 sensors were deployed there (including for monitoring traffic intensity, irrigation, and reporting events), which record more than 300,000 observations per day. Moving from monitoring to proactive management will therefore require faster transmission of even more data.
Smart retail
Smart retail
Data transmission in the 5G standard can also accelerate digital transformation in retail. Its use in the existing network architecture will help retailers adapt to the requirements of the digital economy through, for example, a greater degree of offer personalization, broader use of analytics to identify trends and predict demand, and effective use of virtual and augmented reality to increase customer shopping comfort.
In this way, retailers will also gain access to many demographic, personalized search histories, previous purchases, and other data sets that influence purchasing decisions in near real time. As a result, they will be able to tailor offers to buyers in or near the store. With the tools currently in use, access to such a volume of data is not possible.
What will the future of 5G look like?
The above examples come from the document “Turning on 5G: using edge archetypes to identify the most mature use cases”. In it, Vertiv experts identify the 24 most significant examples of 5G use in edge computing, grouped into four areas for which bandwidth and lack of latency in data transmission are critical: device-to-device transmission, user experience, data volume, and fields posing risks to health and life (such as digital healthcare, but also autonomous vehicles).
It is worth remembering that 5G is still a relatively new standard, and the above examples concern an early stage of deployment. However, given the pace at which it is developing and the market demand for fast transmission of large amounts of data, we will certainly see dynamic growth in services using the capabilities provided by 5G in the coming years.
Summary
5G networks open new possibilities for industries such as medicine, entertainment, smart cities, and retail. Examples of applications include virtual surgical training, live VR broadcasts, and managing thousands of sensors in cities. Vertiv experts identify the 24 most mature 5G use cases in edge computing.
An interesting fact is that in the Spanish city of Santander, more than 12,000 sensors have been deployed, generating 300,000 observations per day. This shows how enormous amounts of data future systems will have to handle — and 5G will be their key foundation.
