CES 2018 is where you'll start caring about 5G

This year, the world's biggest consumer
electronics show will shine a light on the next-
gen wireless technology that will shape the
coming decade.


At this year's CES you'll hear plenty of talk about
driverless cars, connected homes and the
internet of things. (Yes, we promise IoT,
perhaps the buzziest of tech trends, is more
than just hackable baby monitors and $400 internet-connected juicers.)

Here's the technology that will drive all of those

innovations over the next decade: 5G.


The shorthand tag "5G" stands for fifth-
generation wireless technology. Those
broadbandlike wireless speeds you're getting
on your phone now? That's 4G technology. So
just think about what happens next.

If you're excited about the prospects, you
aren't alone. Tech observers see 5G as the
foundation for a host of other trends. At last
year's CES, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf described 5G as the biggest thing since the introduction of electricity.

Remember, a lot of work needs to be done for
5G to achieve broad scale. But with networks
set to go live by 2019 and coverage reaching 20 percent of the population by 2023, now's the time to start caring about it.


The lowdown on 5G

The brave new world of 5G isn't just about
speed. Sure, you can look forward to
ridiculously high download speeds and
bufferless 4K streaming. The real advantages,
however, come down to three other things:

1. Reliability: 5G doesn't just deliver peak
speeds in ideal conditions. The technology
offers superhigh speeds that are reliable
and consistent, even indoors or in
congested areas.

2. Bandwidth: 5G can support a massive
increase in connected devices. Ericsson
forecasts 1 billion 5G subscriptions by 2023.
Think sensors on everything.

3. Latency: Phones today have an annoying
lag between when you send a request for a
website or video and when the network
responds. With 5G, that'll be reduced to 1 millisecond. That's 400 times faster than the blink of an eye. It's so fast, some companies
see it opening up the possibility of remote surgery
.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich is devoting his preshow keynote presentation to the data- driven future that 5G enables. Nokia and
Ericsson will be on stage touting the new network technology. Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which runs
CES, has already been hitting the media circuit
to talk up the tech.

Smart home

According to Intel, the future of 5G means
everything will be connected.

The company, known for processors, is
positioning itself at the forefront of the 5G
revolution. Leading the charge is Asha Keddy,
who heads up Intel's efforts on IoT, connected
devices and next generation networks.

Reference site:
CNET