The truth about 5G: It's not (only) about downloading movies faster!

Likened to the discovery of electricity and the introduction of the internet, the arrival of 5G network technology has been met with great enthusiasm and high expectations for its futuristic potential uses. Envisioned 5G-enabled applications include autonomous vehicle fleets; fully immersive, continuous virtual reality; a tactile, sensor-based internet; and billions of peer-to-peer connected Internet-of-Things devices. Despite the hype, a recent survey suggests that most business managers and executives do not understand the technology and its transformative potential nor how to assess its appropriateness for their existing operations. In this article, we explore the potential future applications of 5G, where we are today with the technology, its adoption challenges, and how managers should evaluate investing resources into 5G. (C) 2020 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The arrival of 5G network technology has brought great enthusiasm and high expectations for its potential uses in autonomous vehicles, virtual reality, and Internet-of-Things devices. However, most business managers and executives lack understanding of the technology and struggle to assess its appropriateness for their operations.