5G, the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular data networks, is often promoted to radically improve wireless connectivity compared to the existing 4G long-term evolution (LTE) networks. Key features of 5G such as high speed, superior reliability, and negligible latency are likely to drive digital transformation into new realms, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Kiran Raj, Practice Head of Disruptive Tech at GlobalData, comments: “The wide-scale adoption of 5G is anticipated to drive the next wave of digital transformation and Industry 4.0 where a faster response to customer needs is possible. The technology’s use cases span a wide range of sectors including healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and media & entertainment to enable smart, efficient, and user-friendly decisions.”

Vaibhav Gundre, Senior Consultant of Disruptive Tech at GlobalData, comments: “Emerging innovation areas in 5G such as 5G network slicing, 5G mmWave, standalone (SA) 5G, and 5G new radio unlicensed (NR-U) are expected to support game-changing use cases such as remote surgeries, autonomous vehicles, smart factories, high-speed broadband, and immersive experiences.”

GlobalData’s FutureTech Series report, “5G revolution: key disruptive forces to drive digital transformation,” highlights  50+ disruptive forces in 5G as emerging, accelerating, and maturing innovation areas based on their rate of growth in innovation.

5G network slicing enables network operators to unlock effective utilization of resources to deliver wide-scale applications ranging from low-latency for remote surgeries and autonomous vehicles to high-throughput for video streaming.

Multiple service offerings, increased operational efficiency, and customizable network capabilities are expected to significantly reduce capital and operational expenditure for network operators. For instance, in March 2022, Ericsson and Vodafone created UK’s first on-demand 5G network slice to provide high bandwidth for a virtual reality (VR) use case.

5G mmWave is an innovative cellular technology providing access to massive bandwidth and capacity available in frequency bands above 24 GHz. High bandwidth, abundant spectrum resources, and efficient interconnection make 5G mmWave a disruptive innovation area in 5G. In March 2022, MediaTek launched a mmWave 5G chipset that will power the next generation of 5G smartphones with seamless connectivity.

SA 5G is the first major upgrade to 5G networks, which deploys a 5G core to manage connectivity, mobility, user authentication, and other critical management functions. Ultra-low latency and higher bit rates, increased capacity and coverage, and end-to-end network slicing with higher scalability are some of the benefits of SA 5G. In May 2022, Qualcomm demonstrated the first-of-its-kind SA 5G mmWave connection, with peak speeds of 10Gbps.

5G NR-U is a 5G new radio solution operated in an unlicensed spectrum. It can enable private networks to remove spectrum constraints and provide enhanced 5G experiences. Synchronized sharing, support for demanding IIoT, and the ability to combine with licensed or shared spectrum make 5G NR-U a unique proposition by network providers. In June 2022, Samsung and NAVER Cloud collaborated to switch on South Korea’s first private 5G network that will support NAVER’s cloud-based autonomous mobile robots.

Gundre concludes: “In recent years, Ericsson, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Samsung and telecom players such as Telefonica, Vodafone, Orange, and T-Mobile have made significant progress to demonstrate the 5G use cases for consumers and enterprises. Following the recent trend of successful demonstration of proofs-of-concept, various sectors are expected to switch to 5G connectivity to boost productivity and efficiency. However, costly hardware upgrade, high-frequency band unavailability, and complex network architecture remain some of the key challenges for the technology’s adoption at scale.”