Are you ready for 5G? It's time to embrace its future potential

CEO of Telefónica UK gives his take on the benefits of 5G
Mark Evans25 April 2019

Businesses, communities, and households across the UK are about to undergo a digital evolution, providing unprecedented benefits for us all.

The way we go about our daily lives, how local councils service their communities, even the trajectory of our economy is set to change thanks to the next generation of mobile connectivity, 5G.

In 2018, of all the ingredients that keep our economy and society moving, arguably at the top of the list is mobile connectivity. But mobile is no longer just the phone in your hand.

With the arrival of 5G, wireless connectivity will go from something we experience through personal devices, to an integrated infrastructure that connects buildings, transport, and utilities – a truly smart city.

Mark Evans, CEO of Telefonica UK
Telefonica

There’s already a lot of talk about smart cities and 5G and what they mean for people but few have quantified the benefits to citizens, councils and the country more broadly.

When it’s here, 5G will deliver faster mobile internet speeds than ever before - rivalling high-speed WiFi and crucially, offering latency (response times) as low as one millisecond.

We recently launched a new report which reveals what 5G will mean for our cities and communities with concrete examples of productivity improvements, alongside the real and tangible benefits for households.

‘The value of 5G for cities and communities’, examines the difference 5G-enabled cities will make to people’s lives and pockets – helping to slash unproductive commute time, freeing up stretched public services, or making our energy grids more resilient.

It’s clear evidence for why Britain’s digital future needs to be the number one priority for this government.

The research estimates that every household will be £450 better off a year. £145 will be shaved off energy bills through super-smart grids and household council bills will be £66 cheaper thanks to a connected refuse collection, while the introduction of smart fridges will save £236 in food waste.

In addition, an extra 1.3 million electric cars will be brought onto our roads as a result of 5G-proofed energy grids that can withstand mass electric car charging, saving each owner £1,600 in annual fuel costs.

Local authorities will share collectively an annual £2.8 billion through efficiency savings. This will come from reduced social care costs for the elderly enabled by 5G monitoring, to savings created by smarter street lighting and energy usage.

5G could also help reduce the strain on our NHS, as waiting times for GP appointments fall thanks to more people using telehealth services; and cities could generate an additional £6 billion through increased productivity.

With benefits like these, it’s no surprise that the global race to 5G is on.

O2 is playing its part, with steps already taken to pave the way for the rollout of 5G in the UK. We are already rolling out ‘small cell’ technology that will lay the foundations for 5G in cities like London and Aberdeen and just last month, we announced that we will partner with AEG to launch a 5G test bed at The O2.

The government has already made significant strides towards becoming a world leader with the launch of its 5G strategy last year. The ambition is for everyone to enjoy the benefits of 5G as soon as possible.

But if we are to reap the rewards of 5G, 2018 must be the year we make strides in getting better access to critical infrastructure from buildings to street furniture, and where regulators, operators, vendors, landlords and industry come together with government and local authorities to unblock bottlenecks.

If we work together we can deliver a 5G future which will reduce the UK’s running costs and make every pound work harder and smarter.

Mobile is one of the UK’s most powerful opportunities to stabilise and strengthen our economy.

5G will play a major role in advancing our cities, so they operate smarter and better. It will also make a measurable improvement to local councils and the lives of the British public.

The future mobile Britain is on the horizon and we should all be committed to embracing it.

Mark Evans is CEO of Telefónica UK

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