Marketers and industry advocates gush about the next “new and improved” anything. It becomes hard to tell the difference between paid-for excitement and a technology that’s actual worth getting excited about. Well, it’s starting to seem like you can believe the hype around 5G. We’re not likely to experience it until 2018, but it’s worth looking forward to and thinking about what will be possible. Here are 4 big things that 5G will enable.

1. Virtual Reality Gets Real.

With speeds that support the heavy data demands of the virtual, 5G will likely usher in virtual experiences. And it seems like Social will be eager to embrace it. Maybe you heard Mark Zuckerberg talk about playing ping pong with the President of Indonesia. Well, it’ll be a lot cooler than that, but you get the point.

2. Self-Driving Cars.

Let’s face it Uber can’t wait for the self-driving car. GM is also preparing. Google, of course, led the charge. If you’ve been watching what’s been happening in automotive patents over the past 5 years, it’s pretty clear the direction the industry is heading in. 5G will clear a path for the driverless car.

3. Telemedicine.

Doctors using robots to operate on you in your home? Yes, this becomes very possible.

4. Videoconferencing.

The slight glitches of today’s videoconferencing are significant in making the experience feel off. With 5G those glitches will disappear and the ubiquity of the videoconference will make it feel more natural.

Again, it’s not until 2018 that we get to unwrap these technological presents, but they’re worth getting excited about. They’re going to change our world and make a lot more possible, including ping pong with the President of Indonesia. Well, maybe not. He’s probably busy.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.