5G is more than just faster wireless service. It is transformative. It will transform the way we use wireless and expand what we can do over it. Over the next few years, 5G wireless will open new doors and create a completely different experience for all users going forward. It will also create new business opportunities.
Let’s explore the growth opportunity for wireless networks, smartphone companies and makers, pay TV providers and all the new 5G gear that will use these new ultra-fast wireless data networks and transform our world.
4G is fast, but not fast enough. It has unleashed new ways to use wireless like letting us listen to and watch streaming services like radio, movies and even live TV. While this is fast enough for one person, it’s not fast enough for the entire family to be doing to same thing. This creates data bottlenecks which interfere with the quality of the services being used.
5G wireless will open new avenues for growth with pay TV and internet
5G is so much faster, it will let the whole family watch and listen to data intensive applications like music, movies and live TV. It will also increase the chances of new innovation like Uber and Lyft to redefine older industries like taxi and limousine. So, 5G will usher in a new decade full of innovation and improved services.
It will change the entire pay TV space over the next few years with new competitors, new technologies and new offerings. It will let us, and our entire family take our communications and entertainment experiences on the road with us.
Yesterday, we had to sit in our home to watch pay TV. Today, we can watch pay-TV anywhere in the USA over our wireless networks. Tomorrow, our entire family will be able to watch payTV at the same time, anywhere, anytime. This will further unleash our creative engines.
Wireless data demand increases, while spectrum remains limited
Over the last decade or two, we have used an increasing amount of data. Today, we use more wireless data and data in general than ever before. While there is no problem with wire line data, there is a problem with wireless data, and that’s limited wireless data spectrum.
Wireless data networks use spectrum to provide signal to their mobile customers. And spectrum is in limited supply. Technology continues to improve, and we can send more data over the same spectrum compared to years ago.
I fully expect this will continue to get better over time. However, this is a real hurdle the industry continues to face as users consume more wireless data.
This next wave of innovation through 5G will only increase this enormous demand.
AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint 5G mobility plans
This new trend started with AT&T Mobility. They acquired DirecTV, created DirecTV NOW and then wireless TV or mobile TV. Verizon is now talking about heading down this same new path when 5G comes to fruition. So, expect both AT&T and Verizon to head rapidly toward this new world of 5G.
T-Mobile US and Sprint have more of a challenge. They are smaller. You would think that would make it easier for them. If everything else was equal, that may be true. The problem is that T-Mobile US is a great marketer but has very little spectrum. Sprint has loads of spectrum, but just can’t get the marketing magic engines up and running.
If they come together, they may have exactly what they need to grow in this next 5G wave. If they don’t come together, their growth will be stymied as we move further into 5G.
Apple iPhone, Google Android, Samsung Galaxy next generation 5G smartphones
Companies like Apple with their iPhone, the Google Android and Samsung Galaxy will be rolling out their next generation or 5G smartphones. This will be another exciting growth opportunity. Wireless pay TV and more will play an increasing role going forward on these devices.
This will also be a growth opportunity for other smartphone makers. Remember what happened to Motorola. They lead the handset space for decades until Nokia, Blackberry and Palm took the lead in the 1990’s. Then a decade later how Apple iPhone and Google Android took the lead from them.
Leaders in the handset space seem to change every decade or so. What’s in store this time around? Who knows. There is nothing new expected, but then again, who would have guessed Apple and Google would have upset the smartphone apple cart a decade ago?
5G will introduce new competitors in wireless pay TV space
AT&T used DirecTV NOW and put pay TV over wireless networks creating wireless pay TV. That was just the beginning. Going forward, customers will be able to sign up for a package of wireless and wire line Internet from their service providers. Or, they will also be able to sign up for wireless and wire line separately.
Competition in pay TV will change and expand with the rollout of 5G. What I mean is wireless companies will start to offer their own pay TV services using their mobile networks. That means AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless. That also means T-Mobile and Sprint if they can get their merger done.
With that said, other companies will start and do the same thing. They may not offer wireless phone service. They may just offer wireless pay TV. Then again, they may resell one of the wireless network services and offer a bundle of pay TV and wireless smartphones.
Apple and Google will enter the wireless pay TV space. That will be another growth engine for them. This may also happen with other smartphone makers like Samsung and more.
AI plays an important role in the 5G wireless transformation wave
AI will play a larger role in the wireless world as well. Artificial intelligence technologies like IBM Watson will communicate wirelessly. This will create all sorts of new growth opportunities over the next decade.
The cloud is another huge growth opportunity. AWS is the Amazon.com version of the cloud, but there are many others as well. This is an area that will grow in importance to both the individual, to companies and to governments.
Do you see where I am heading? The wonderful world of AI, cloud, wireless pay TV, wireless Internet and wireless phone service using the new 5G technology, will create new and enormous growth waves in the next several years. It will create new business models like Uber and Lyft.
5G is next step in wireless revolution
And this is just the next step in the evolution of wireless. We are not at the end of this race. We are still just in the very early innings of this game. So, as much growth as we have seen in the last few decades, expect the same and even more. Other industries will partner with and use wireless like automotive, healthcare, retail and more.
While every company and every technology will have different levels of growth, the industry itself will continue to grow. So, buckle your seatbelts. The 5G decade of growth will be fast and wild and is getting ready to start in the next few months. Stay tuned.
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