5G represents one of the most important advances for the telecommunications and industrial technologies sector in recent years. This new development is quite relevant not only for smartphone companies, which in recent months have begun to bring 5G-compatible phones to the market, but also for many industries such as medicine, engineering and logistics.

Little by little, the road has been paved towards a new digital paradigm where 5G will be the basis for new practical applications of industry 4.0 technologies.

The path of 5G has been full of promises about potential uses and benefits. However, there are some important challenges related to costs and implementation policies that have slowed its growth at various times. Some skeptics even consider that this technology will not be able to fulfill the promises already made or that its importance will not be less than previous generations of telecommunications technologies.

What’s On The Way?

For many, 5G represents an improvement for commercial and industrial applications that need a good Internet connection. An example of this is logistics. Advances in industry 4.0 have allowed supply chain companies to adopt new technologies to their transportation strategies. One of the technologies that they have recently adopted is the Internet of Things (IoT). Many electronic devices can now be connected to the IoT to jointly perform complex logistics process tasks; and 5G is the new piece that will make those connections much more reliable and efficient.

Richard Blown , Director of Innovation at Hermes comments: “ The real bonus here is packet tracking with 5G connectivity, low latency, high speed and broadband. With this alone, you have the ability to have millions of devices connected at the same time. ”

Sensors, robots, drones and many other electronic devices connected to the IoT will play a much more important role in logistics processes; allowing greater efficiency and reduction in transfer times and costs.

In addition to the industrial sector, 5G is also being implemented in many innovative projects in the education sector where augmented reality, automation and new learning technologies will allow teachers to develop new learning strategies. Some companies take the possibilities of 5G in education very seriously, such as Verizon , which encourages the use of technologies in innovative ways through the initiative 5G EdTech Challenge, which aims to find innovative projects that implement 5G in teaching.

Obstacles In The Way

5G antennas have the disadvantage of having a much lower range than 4G. While a 4G antenna is a few kilometers in diameter in range, a 5G antenna only reaches a few hundred meters. This means that, to implement a consistent network, there would have to be hundreds of thousands of antennas in any city or community. Also, because 5G waves aren’t as strong, the signal doesn’t penetrate through hard obstacles like wood and trees, decreasing reception drastically. This has discouraged some experts on the subject, who have branded 5G as a technology that will disappoint many of the consumers or that it simply will not be able to compete with the current 4G.

High Speed Road?

Big promises are little if there are no ways to implement them in a realistic way. Only time will show what will be the fate of the crossroads that 5G stands at. But what we can be completely sure of is that technological advances in connectivity will continue to develop by leaps and bounds and new solutions will be found for the challenges we face today.

Also Read : Where Is 5G Headed, And Why Does It Herald The Future?