OK guys, the telcos are assembling, the dates are in and the rollout is slated for 2019. 4G mobile internet technology is now about to get eclipsed by the much faster and aptly named 5G! What will that mean though? It could be a game changer for small business in Australia.

1) 5G makes a landing

This is the biggest upgrade to mobile networks in a decade and both Telstra and Optus are on board for the initial rollout this year in 2019. The possibilities of 5G are boggling.  New technologies will emerge, new possibilities for online business will explode, new geographies will open up and the speed of communication will quicken dramatically. Buckle up, this will really generate a tsunami of business changes.

2) What’s the difference between 4G and 5G?

Put simply – capacity and speed. This is a very significant upgrade from 4G and you will feel the difference with a focus on eliminating latency (that pause you get before your download begins).

With the speeds still a rather uncertain affair – as slated bandwidth rarely touches real life experience – we do know it will be fast. Really fast. It may even be faster than your nbn fast. We are talking something in the range of ten to one hundred times the speed of 4G with maximum predictions setting a peak speed of 20 Gb/s, while 4G is only 1 Gb/s.

3) What technology will it unlock and enable?

Big Question. The advent of 5G will not only speed up and create capacity for current internet technologies to really shine, but it will undoubtedly unlock new tech and industries we have not yet seen. Like what?

Autonomous driving will be relying heavily on 5G if such data laden activities are to be undertaken with confidence. Remote surgery can now be enabled, augmented reality will become common and capable and immersive gaming experiences will emerge.

4) Business opportunities abound

What will 5G mean for business in Australia?

This will affect almost every business in varying ways, with a reliable 5G connection businesses will slowly begin to realise that they can now be truly untethered, with some people predicting that in the near future the internet will become entirely unwired.

With such massive speeds and reliability on a mobile platform we will see business connectivity upgraded to the point that mobile workers will no longer suffer from the download/upload limitations or the tyranny of distance.

We will also see practices like marketing change to adopt augmented reality, virtual reality and a higher reliance on video, with the confidence that excellent bandwidth brings. Even simple things like seamless streaming, video calls, large uploads or downloads on the go will become hassle free and lightning quick.

Furthermore, we will see new businesses emerge in the IT space as well as new apps, business models and products that will inevitably come about with advanced 5G.