The transformative potential of 5G was a hot topic throughout last week's CES trade show in Las Vegas, with digital advisory and business development company MediaLink's CEO Michael Kassan labelling this year's show “the dawn of 5G.”
During a panel discussion at the event, Kassan was joined onstage by AT&T CEO John Donavan, who detailed the US operator's efforts to transform 5G into a reality, as well as AT&T's work to develop the first 5G-enabled hospital in Chicago.
“This network, really simply stated, is not just faster and more efficient – which we've grown to appreciate – it's a real-time network. So it's a game-changer,” Donavan said.
Another area of focus was the potential for 5G to transform the automotive sector, including by significantly reducing accidents through self-driving vehicles. According to research cited at the event, self-driving vehicles have the potential to eliminate 94% of car accidents caused by human error.
During a panel session on the connected car with 5G, executives from BlackBerry Certicom, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, TomTom and Flex explored how 5G will transform future cars into a private data center, fueling innovation in areas including smart cities, autonomous vehicles, mobility and privacy protection.
A separate session concentrated on the effects 5G and the IoT – including smart homes - will have on the retail sector, and how shopping will be affected by the emergence of the technology.
The impact of 5G and VR on the entertainment industry was another area of focus at the four-day event, including the potential of these technologies to allow immersive experiences at public events such as sports games.