It really is as simple as that, but to understand where 5G is going we have to quickly discuss where we’ve been with 4G LTE and what it’s given us. I myself was part of the 4G Wimax deployment followed up by the 4G LTE uplift many years ago, although it doesn’t seem that far off. 3G networks just weren’t getting the job done when it came to the throughput needed to run today’s most demanding apps. It was essentially a far better answer for data networks having millions of Iphones broadcasting on them, but was more of a stop gap than an actual solution. Enter 4G.

With 4G, streaming to mobile devices and being able to use apps like Uber and Lyft became possible. Services like netflix and others were now capable of streaming full length television programs and movies to your phone or tablet. With apps like Uber and Lyft, 3G just wasn’t fast enough to get accurate locations via GPS for drivers to actually find you and pick you up. These mobile networks have become definitive answers to solving problems in our everyday lives or enhancing our leisure activities while stuck at an airport terminal somewhere waiting on a delayed flight. If we break down all the advances just 4G gave us, we could state that the technology itself introduced trillions of dollars in investment capital to not just US markets but on a global scale as well. What was Netflix’s stock price before the inception of 4G? Exactly.

So what exactly is 5G going to bring us besides a serious influx of investment opportunities in various markets? Well for starters the connection is going to be a minimum of 10 times faster than what we currently have on our mobile devices. You could surf the web and make phone calls while riding on a high speed train going 310 miles per hour. IT WILL BE 10 TO 15 TIMES FASTER!!! So to put that into a quick perspective, you will be able to download a full movie in about 2 seconds. 2 SECONDS! Have I got your attention? But what else exactly will we be seeing as the technology is rolled out and becomes a mainstay for us?

By 2025 an estimated 75 billion devices will be connected to the internet. AI machines are going to make a serious splash in not only our economy but our everyday lives. I’ll let Jeff Brown from Legacy Research explain this further:

5G isn’t just faster than 4G. It was built from the ground up to be able to assign “slices” of the wireless spectrum to specific applications. This will allow wireless network operators such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile to guarantee a network connection to a self-driving car or truck company. Each self-driving truck needs to be connected, in real time, with a high-speed connection. And if a human driver at a remote command center location needs to step in and drive the truck through a tricky navigation, there can’t be any delay – or “latency” – in the connection. 5G is the only network technology that can provide dedicated bandwidth, low latency, high-speed connections, and guaranteed quality of service. A self-driving world is impossible with current 4G networks.

These types of vehicles, both cars and large semi-trucks will be something you start seeing in the next decade as normal. If you’ve had any fears of automation systems taking over, they were well founded.

The medical field will also be very much effected. Robot surgeries are going to start becoming common in high tech hospitals around the world with a doctor on one end, miles and miles away, controlling a robotic surgeon possibly saving your life. This has already taken place. According to a report in the South China Morning Post a surgeon in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian used a 5G network connection to control robotic arms 30 miles away. This is possible because network latency over this new type of wireless network drops by 99%. Basically there’s no noticeable lag whatsoever.

These are just a few of the incredible developments we’re going to see in the coming years with this new technology. Many of the possibilities haven’t even been discovered yet. I would expect holographic technologies start to surface as well using these network speeds. If you’re an investor start preparing now for unprecedented market opportunities here. If you’re a techy, the things you’re going to get to experiment with and the systems you’ll be able to interface with are going to be incredible. For everyone else, I would simply expect you to eventually take these things for granted as we already do now. Or you can dive in head first and discover the wealth of opportunity that will be existent just over the next horizon. What you do from here is up to you.

5G Will be the Most Explosive Tech Trend in the Next Decade