Philippines Needs Its 5G Capabilities for a Smarter and More Intelligent Society

 

Many say that the Cloud is the foundation of all as it supports practically everything while Artificial Intelligence (AI) will make all things intelligent. As the emerging communications connectivity platform, 5G technology will change the way people communicate while providing ultra-reliable, low latency, high-bandwidth connectivity. Finally, the internet of Things (IoT) will provide the virtual immersion and interaction.

 

Combining these technologies into one cohesive and synergistic environment will certainly enable countless possibilities in the very near future, and ICT companies will be at the forefront of providing connectivity to make cities, industries, and enterprises more intelligent in the not-so-distant future.

 

Considering our digitally savvy and smart society, digital transformation is now the operative word that is sweeping across industries in the Philippines. The best way to realize that transformation is to build a simple yet super-intelligent network, one that can be controlled dynamically and managed in a closed-loop manner. Key enablers include automatic deployment, pre-event simulation, post-event verification, prevention and prediction, and proactive optimization.

 

Just recently, the Bangkok Post Public Company Limited in Thailand organized an event that showcased how new technologies like Cloud, AI and connectivity are being applied to unlock new potential, markets and business models in the digital era. Partnering with Huawei, the event gathered more than 4,500 business leaders, industry experts, including diplomatic and government officials where everyone shared valuable insights on global industry trends, and discussed how technological innovations in ICT can unleash varying potentials for industries and society.

 

The Philippines should also consider the robustness of local talent in the field of ICT and telecommunications, the country’s potential for exponential growth, and business's chance to bounce back and recover during the post-pandemic era, using technologies such as 5G as springboard for growth and development.

 

5G technology may help to change the way the world connects people and industries. As the rollout of global 5G progresses quickly, its adoption in industries has moved from technical verification to commercial deployment. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution, because every industry has vastly different requirements.

 

For 5G, connecting people is its basic function. Mobile networks were first created to keep people connected anytime and anywhere. From now until 2030, 5G will increasingly help people interact with the virtual world in real time and deliver a truly immersive experience.

 

Speaking of the virtual world, another boom area for 5G is the use of Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR), where the interaction between the physical and virtual worlds, a scenario that was only a dream before, has become a reality. However, to deliver an XR Pro and holographic experience, cellular communication will need higher speeds. The average access speed should shoot up, from the 120 Mbit/s that supports today’s 4K video streaming to the 2 Gbit/s suitable for 16K video. In addition, lower interaction latency is also a must, where the current 20 ms should be brought down to 5 ms. To meet all these, 5G needs to keep evolving.

 

Looking ahead to 2030, 5G will be the most critical connectivity technology. Cellular networks will carry more than 100 billion connections, most of which will be carried by 5G, which is significantly higher than the 1.3 billion IoT connections present today.