5G, the fifth generation of mobile networks, has been a highly talked about and anticipated technological development over the last couple of years. It’s set to offer much faster and reliable mobile Internet speeds. Although unlikely to replace fixed broadband Internet, it has the potential to change the way we live, work and socialise.
For major UK networks, it has been a dramatic race to be the first to launch 5G technology. In May 2019, EE became the first provider to deploy 5G in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham, London and Manchester with 10 more cities being added during 2019. EE is aiming to offer average speeds of up to 240mb/s. That’s up to 150mb/s faster than 4G.
But what does the advent of 5G mean for businesses in the UK?
1. Driver for Remote Working
Without doubt, 5G provides the opportunity for businesses and its employees to work faster, efficiently and on the go. Its remote staff have better access to Internet that enables them to work as if they were in the office with a strong connection. When connectivity is no longer an issue, businesses and its staff are free to operate from anywhere, at any time.
2. Lower Tolerance to Poor Connectivity
As 5G deploys in more cities and becomes widely available across the UK, people will be used to accessing their favourite apps, websites and features at a touch of a button and without delay. They will expect the same from businesses. Employees and customers will want to access your sites and services with the same speed they’ve come to expect from their personal mobile devices.
3. Enabler for Global Collaboration
Faster speeds from 5G connectivity will mean businesses can communicate and connect to people globally while on the move. Whether they want to join a critical conference call or a useful webinar, 5G will enable business to work smarter and more efficiently.
4. Keeping up with Data Demands
As remote working becomes easier and staff members start to rely on mobile phones and its 5G connection, the data demands will increase from what we see today. The smartphone’s 5G data will be used to download, stream and upload content. It’s up to businesses to ensure they offer a business mobile package that can manage the rise in data consumption. That relies on being with a flexible telco provider that allows you to scale up and down as you require.
5. Simple & Redundant Connection
Businesses today need always-on connectivity and any disruption can have massive impact. It’s why reliable ISPs offer a completely redundant line that you can failover to in the case of any outage. With 5G offering speeds of up 240mb/s, it also provides a simple backup for Internet. A limited number of devices can be tethered to keep the important aspects of the business running and operational.
We have come a long way from the days of dial-up and now even milliseconds of latency or delay can ruin our user experience. 5G is driving a better and faster connected UK that is making content accessible to millions of people. Whether they’re at work, on holiday or on the move, people will come to expect a quick and reliable Internet connectivity.
As personal mobile devices get faster and smarter, businesses and their premises will need to do the same and move away from slow and unreliable Internet that can be damaging to productivity. Business today have a huge opportunity to leverage billions of pounds worth of investment from major network providers to move to ultrafast, gigabit Internet and at very competitive rates.
Not sure if you need fibre Internet? Speak to our team and find out if you should make the move to ultrafast, fibre connectivity: sales@giga.net.uk.
