Bangkok broadband forum flaunts 5G might
An unmanned oil drilling site being operated remotely using 5G technology, a live boxing match using a virtual reality headset with ultra-low latency and high bandwidth of 5G and control of robots in real-time -- these demonstrations marked the first day of Huawei's two-day 13th Global Mobile Broadband Forum in Bangkok.
These are prototype usages of 5G technology. But in reality, there has been a lot of advancements.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Thai mobile operator True's smart ambulance can transmit all crucial data such as heartbeat and blood pressure of a patient to the doctor in real-time through 5G once the patient is boarded onto an ambulance, enabling the doctor to plan in advance over what they have to do to take care of the patient.
Experts said 5G technology would rule the roost in the coming days with robust usage in industrial automation, connecting IoT devices, revolutionising healthcare and better user experiences.
And 5G is beating all the expansion records of other generation technology with its emphatic usage cases.
"5G has grown faster than any previous generation of mobile technology," said Huawei's rotating chairman, Ken Hu, at the opening session.
"In just three years, we've seen solid progress in network deployment, consumer services, and industrial applications," he said.
"We need to work together to fully unleash the power of 5G networks and expand into services like cloud and system integration. Together, we can drive leapfrog development in 5G networks, applications, and the industry as a whole," he said.
In just a little over three years of the commercial launch of 5G, there are now more than 230 career networks and 700 million 5G users.
In spite of this, Bangladesh has been lagging behind in rolling out 5G as the government auctioned the 5G spectrum a few months earlier. No operator has launched 5G commercially.
In Bangladesh, operators are still rolling out 4G, with numerous customers claiming they are getting lower data speeds.
The penetration of 5G devices is also low. Although over 90 per cent of the local smartphone devices are met by local manufacturing, only 3,000 units of 5 mobile phone brands were assembled in the country in July and August, according to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
In those two months, a total of 50 lakh units of feature phones and smartphones were manufactured in the country.
On the contrary, this year in the second quarter, 5G phones made up over 50 per cent of global smartphone shipments.
These networks and users are growing as the market is bigger than ever before. Compared with 4G, 5G networks are 10 times faster. 5G users are already consuming two times more data than those on 4G networks.
In telecommunications, consumer services still account for the bulk of carrier revenue. As 5G becomes more prevalent, its vastly superior experience is driving new shifts in consumer behavior, including a sharp rise in high-definition video traffic.
New mobile applications that take advantage of 5G's greater speeds and lower latency have doubled average user data consumption (DOU) and are increasing average revenue per user by 20 per cent to 40 per cent, contributing to steady growth in carrier revenue from connectivity.
At the same time, B2B 5G applications are also becoming a new engine for carrier revenue growth, producing considerable value in industries like oil and gas, manufacturing, and transportation.
In 2021, for example, Chinese carriers brought in over $500 million in new revenue from more than 3,000 industrial 5G projects. These projects also generated 10 times that amount from related data and integrated ICT services.
The business-to-business 5G applications are poised to become the fastest-growing revenue stream for carriers. 5G is enabling new service scenarios, applications, and business models, paving the way for unprecedented growth opportunities in the industry.
The Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2022 is hosted by Huawei, together with its industry partners.
This annual forum gathers mobile network carriers, vertical industry leaders, and ecosystem partners from around the world to discuss how to make 5G a commercial success, as well as other high-priority industry topics like green development, intelligence, and 5G evolution.
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