The industries that will benefit from 5G

5G Ultra Wideband should have enormous benefits for the healthcare industry. The speed and low latency it can provide, combined with edge computing, could accelerate the use of AI and big data analytics to stream (and allow near real time collaboration on) large, media-rich diagnostic images. It could also enable smooth augmented reality applications and robotics to assist surgeons in training and practicing complex surgeries where precision could be a matter of life and death.

Healthcare remote workforce: The improved network speed and latency of 5G Ultra Wideband could also support the delivery of in-hospital telehealth capabilities. IoT-enabled wearables could provide timely vital information to doctors and hospital staff—allowing them to monitor your recovery in real-time while tending to other parts of their job.

Advanced networking should enable Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) use cases that Industry 4.0 promises. In addition to use cases like computer or machine vision that can be leveraged to enrich data with additional context, 5G Ultra Wideband could also be used to support quality efforts and identify product defects on a production line and deliver actionable data to people and systems to help minimize waste and maintain quality.

Likewise, computer vision and robotics could help develop a digital twin of a plant floor which could potentially save thousands of hours should the location have to be retooled for a different purpose. Making these changes virtually first and then executed in the real world could make the difference in how well a business responds to their customers.

Manufacturing remote workforce: The 5G-enabled manufacturing industry could be able to embrace the development of "dark factories" (factories built to be fully automated by design) that are supported remotely by both engineers and programmers to ensure smooth operations.

Both front- and back-end retail operations stand to benefit from incorporating 5G Ultra Wideband into their business. In the front end, retail stores could enhance  brick and mortar locations with digital mirrors that recommend matching outfits or fitting rooms that allow customers to try on new looks without actually changing. With a 5G network, systems should be able to handle the high data volume generated by these applications with low latency to create a seamless, memorable experience for customers. This could be a key driving factor in brand affinity and loyalty when a customer is making a decision on whether or not to shop again.

In the back end, smart shelves could automatically gauge inventory weight and send purchase orders to vendors, while RFID tags on products eliminate the need for checkout lanes, as scanning devices automatically log product information and charge activated digital wallets. As e-commerce booms, expect 5G to play an increasingly vital role in warehouse management, for anything from driving robots for fulfillment and packing responsibilities to analyzing product /brand affinity in near real time.

Retail remote workforce: A 5G network should enable new services and applications like AI and machine learning to run smoothly by providing resilient large bandwidth pipes with low latency responsiveness. This should in turn, allow for the automation and algorithms that boost transparency and efficiency of retail supply chains and inventory management. Automating these functions through algorithms should allow retailers to drive business remotely as the e-commerce model demonstrates.

Many functions in the finance sector, especially personal banking, are moving to mobile devices. 5G should deliver a better mobile banking experience as connections remain fast and stable. This wireless performance should also enable advanced biometric identification verification techniques, helping to keep finances secure. It isn't only customers that will experience the benefits of 5G connectivity. Financial institutions will be better equipped to detect fraud faster by leveraging geolocation technologies and matching those with user identities.

Finance remote workforce: Most of the work that finance professionals do could become remote with a 5G connection enabling faster responses. In addition, consumers can schedule video appointments with loan counselors leveraging 5G's immersive experiences.

Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could find 5G to be a critical tool when traveling to inspect energy and utility assets while maintaining a high-quality video, potentially improving the accuracy of video analysis and, in turn, potentially increasing grid resiliency. Likewise, experienced technicians can use mixed reality models through high-quality videoconferencing to troubleshoot problems in the field.

Energy and utilities remote workforce: Operators could remotely monitor assets and deploy help accordingly with the use of 5G integrated access backhaul (IAB).

While these are just a few of the industries that should benefit from 5G in the near future, their innovation clearly shows how revolutionary this technology could be for the world at large. Learning more about 5G could help you gain a competitive edge—and retain it.