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With every generation of mobile network, new functionality was unlocked for users. 5G promises to be on a completely different level, with Qualcomm citing the economic impact at $12 Trillion by 2035. How much of it is hype to justify the massive infrastructure investment, only time will tell. But as 5G starts rolling out in various markets including the US and UK, I set out to explore the opportunities for startups, focusing on entertainment tech and consumer experiences, some of our areas of focus at Remagine Ventures.
First some context
- 1G delivered analog voice.
- 2G introduced digital voice
- 3G brought mobile data (the picture era)
- 4G LTE ushered in the era of mobile Internet (the video era), for the first time data delivery didn’t depend on the physical network, as it was optimised in the cloud which enabled the introduction of OTT (over the top) services like Netflix, Youtube, Spotify, Whatsapp, etc.
So what is 5G?
If 5G was just about faster download speeds, it wouldn’t justify the level of interest from governments and industry players. According to Qualcomm:
The 5G Smart Network is a software-defined, programmable platform that integrates distributed compute, storage with high-speed communication…
5G will be a new kind of network, supporting a vast diversity of devices with unprecedented…
