15 Applications of 5G: Why Should You Care about 5G?

It is expected that 5G will enable speeds up to 1 Gbps, compared to 100 Mbps offered by 4G. Combined with this high-speed, low-latency, and low energy requirements, 5G is going to be much better than 4G. But is the expensive upgrade to 5G systems worth our money? Although there will be more, what are those critical applications which might benefit from 5G in the near future?

Applications of 5G you may not have Anticipated

Fixed Wireless Connectivity – The last mile access to the Internet to homes and small offices, currently provided by optical fiber and copper cables, will most probably move to wireless, enabled by 5G. At the least, the new connections will.
Gaming – Cloud-based AR, VR & 3D Gaming to be made possible.
Autonomous Vechicles – Collision avoidance, Remote diagnostics, Car-to-Car communications, Pay-as-you-drive Insurance, Autonomous video-assisted control/driving of vehicles.
Vehicle-to-Everything Communications network enabled by 5G will allow autonomous cars to communicate with most objects around it. This will enable it to take instantaneous decisions that could avoid collisions, avoid congestion, etc.
Healthcare – Wireless Telesurgery with robots; AR/VR enabled Surgery.
Human Bond Communications (HBC) – Instead of conveying just visual and auditory information, 5G networks of tomorrow will also be able to communicate smell, taste, and sensory information.
Fog Computing, enabled by 5G, would decentralize some processing and storage to edge devices (instead of always going through a centralized server). This will enable faster real-time communications, even for bandwidth-intensive applications. This would find a ready application in social media communications.
De-centralized energy storage decoupled from centralized energy production systems of the future will require a fast 5G network to determine instant distribution and rerouting of energy resources.
Sensors planted within the body could continuously monitor and transmit critical health parameters due to the low-power requirements of 5G communications technology.
Wearable sensors could continuously monitor parameters like stress, physical activity, etc., and alert people when measurements deviate from expected levels in real-time. These sensors need high-speed, low-power communication systems enabled by 5G.
Biodegradable Sensors planted in the soil could continuously transmit information regarding soil fertility, moisture, and other info required for healthy plant growth. Persuasive Business Models (PBMs) need to process large amounts of data generated by sensors like these, hence need high-speed networks like 5G – esp. where quick decisions are expected to be made.
Smart Cities are expected to install sensors almost everywhere for multiple applications like parking fees, lighting control, etc. This needs a fast network to function.
Automation in Smart Factories that employ robots and other such advanced technology will need the low latency provided by 5G in order to avoid the cabling infrastructure in use today.
For people visiting sports stadiums in the future, in-stadium content could be personalized (using a smart glass connected to 5G) and hence they would be able to consume on-demand content, like a replay of a scene once again – if they want to. In high-density places like sports stadiums, the high-speeds and low-latency provided by 5G would be critical to give a good user experience.
High Quality 360 degree video and 8K streaming to large screens will become a reality with 5G connectivity.

How to Check the Speed of Your Internet Connection?

Irrespective of whether you have 4G or 5G, it is always a challenge to find out if your ISP is actually giving you the bandwidth that they promise. This is especially critical if you run bandwidth-intensive apps. Speedcheck is a website (they also have mobile apps) that enables you to monitor the data rates offered by your ISP. You can also check the speeds you get at different locations, not only for 4G/5G connections but also for your WiFi routers.

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