The Basics of 5G and The Edge

There are two driving forces expected to bring change to the tech industry. We are at the emergence of 5G realization as networks are being upgraded and new devices enter into the market. Edge computing, while already being embraced, is taking over the past discussions of the cloud as the answer to bring analytics and insights in a real-time and automated manner. Let's skip the mechanics and deep tech discussion. Below are some basic thoughts around these 2 areas and why they are important to the future of work, smart cities, consumer entertainment, and much more.

The Basics of 5G
As 5G networks are being launched in select cities, the industry is embracing new changes compared to 4G/LTE speeds. 5G brings the dawn of a new era where we connect machines, objects, people, cars, and more. 5G brings new opportunities and potential applications that we have yet to unveil, and the industry is bracing for speeds that bring mass IoT to fruition, low latency critical communications that is ultra reliable, and enhanced mobile broadband. Fixed wireless also becomes more of a reality across the nation, as 5G brings speeds that are expected to directly compete with cable and other high-speed Internet services. At this stage we are at the cusp of exploring new use cases, hard-hitting applications, and new device roll-out (smartphones launching middle of 2019 and some hotspot devices). Even more important is what this means to businesses, consumers, and even government customers. Businesses are expected to leverage 5G for industrial and supply chain automation, connected vehicle enhancements, mass IoT sensor networks and systems, and much more. Consumers will experience new entertainment experiences on their phones, cars, and in the home that bring speeds we have yet to experience, and content that bring new levels of entertainment. Governments will leverage 5G for critical communications, smart city applications, and new city services. The opportunities are endless and the market is prime to engage, learn, and explore what 5G brings to the world.

The Basics of The Edge
The Edge is an explosive topic for the tech industry, as we push intelligence to the end-point or device as opposed to pushing data to the cloud or to a remote server/data center. Chipset technologies have advanced where data analytics and decisions are being made at the equipment or device for critical decision making, business process improvement, and important action enablement. Edge computing combined with Internet of Things, brings simplification and new possibilities for immediate and real-time decision making for things like fleet management, asset tracking, supply chain management, advance manufacturing, and building management. Other technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (mL) elevate automatic decision-making and are further executed to bring automation to new levels for businesses and government, in addition to creating new customer experiences to consumers and entertainment.

RELATED RESEARCH:
5G Research Reports
Edge Computing Research Reports