What Does 5G Mean for Our Future?

5G and marketing

In June 2018, the association which overlooks the standards for wireless networks approved the global technology specifications for 5G.

This had a domino effect of making the largest telecom providers, as well as wireless service providers, begin their initial deployments

Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have all begun rolling out their own “5G networks” in 2019.

What this means is that 5G has become a reality in 2019. Nationwide coverage should be complete within the first half of 2019.

What does this mean for marketing?

Before we look at marketing, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of 5G.

The most exciting promise that 5G offers to consumers and businesses is it’s blazing fast speeds.

5G is expected to push mobile speeds from 100 Mbps all the way up to 10Gps and beyond.

This will give fibre-optic wired networks a run for their money.

The upgrade from 3G to 4G LTE facilitated the rise of many apps which are video-heavy such as Snapchat, Instagram and so on.

Similarly, the rise of 5G will bring with it new opportunities in digital media and consumer technology.

Streaming 4K and maybe even 8K is a no-brainer.

However, what’s even more exciting is the high-quality AR and VR content that will be possible with the new network. There are plenty of other benefits to 5G. However, let’s stick to these right now and move onto 5G and marketing.

While nationwide coverage will be complete within the first half of 2019, that doesn’t mean that adoption will be quick. As a result of this, marketing implications will only be able to be felt in a couple of years.

5G will result in more cable subscribers saying goodbye to cable companies.

As more people switch to 5G services, there will be a shift in TV viewership as well as ad spend.

5G will also bring about new media channels as well as ad formats. This is because 5G is perfect for AR/VR devices.

There are limitless possibilities for AR services, VR experiences and enhanced 360 videos when it comes to 5G. In addition to this, a 5G powered future could, in theory, give brand marketers insight to optimize campaigns in real-time. However, data privacy will need to be taken into account before that happens.

5G will also give brands different ways to reach out to their customers through new IoT services.

For example, autonomous cars will be able to give users new media as well as service opportunities which other non-car brands will be able to analyze and crunch in order to innovate their marketing campaigns.

This could be anything from turning self-driving cars into dining rooms to retail stores in autonomous cars. The possibilities are endless.

However, one thing that is needed for all of these opportunities to materialize is a stable 5G network. 5G promises big things for everyone involved and that’s what makes it an exciting prospect.