5G will change everything as we know it

The telecommunications industry is evolving faster than ever. In the early 2000s, GPRS and EDGE technologies (2G) propelled mobile connectivity beyond phone calls and text messages. Since then, connectivity has evolved via 3G/HSDPA, 4G/LTE to 5G. Compared to previous iterations, 5G stands out the most as it presents a moment in history where the potential implications for mobile connectivity are radically life-altering.

We spoke with Virgin Mobile UAE’s Chief Technology Officer, Imran Shaikh, to discover more about the exciting possibilities the future holds for us with 5G technology.

Where do you think the world stands now in terms of technology and telecommunications?

I think Tech today sits at an interesting junction. For Tech to evolve, telecoms need to play a key and pivotal role. That’s because we live in a wireless world that is about to become even more wireless.

For instance, it’s still fixed and wired if we take Home Broadband. Yes, you’ve got your WiFi routers, but in the backend, it’s still wired. All that wiring is costly and not good for the environment. If we were to go completely wireless, we’re going to be able to do a lot better for the environment, and substantially optimise our telecommunication infrastructure in terms of costs and logistics.

The future is wireless…

Absolutely. Just look at the latest mobile devices. Today, these are often capable of doing far more than most traditional computers. A mobile device has applications that a traditional computer does not. If you think about mobility, a handheld device is more powerful than a laptop. This evolution was only made possible thanks to cutting-edge wireless technology.

Now the same code-cutting movement is happening with the evolution of wireless technology metamorphosizing into 5G, and 5G standalone.

5G is a completely different technology from what came before with LTE, 3G, 2G and EDGE. 5G allows for not only bigger bandwidth, but more throughput in terms of download and upload speed. But it also gives you the ability to improve your customer’s quality of service.

For instance, with a Fibre connection, if you’re expecting a speed of 1GBps, the reality is that this isn’t always guaranteed. With 5G standalone, we’ll have the ability to give customers a guaranteed speed of 1GBps.

The ability to guarantee the speed and that precise service delivery are going to change the world as we know it. Not only are we going to completely cut the cord in homes but think about the possibilities of cutting cords in data centres. Data centres right now are wires galore. Every server, every switch, and every storage device is going to give you wires. If you can disconnect all that, your world changes.

Wireless tech will power the Metaverse

Think about the Metaverse, where the world is heading right now. Without mobility, can it survive? No. And this is the reason why it hasn’t done so well, so far. Because mobility doesn’t exist. The moment mobility comes into the devices that are powering the Metaverse it is going to be a completely different world.

If you want to hear more about Imran’s thoughts on 5G and our future, he will be a keynote speaker at #FutureNetMENA on 20th March 2023. He will be joining a keynote panel - The Open Telco: How do we harness the innovation required for networks of the future?

You can register to attend the event for free as a Virgin Mobile customer by clicking here

To know more about our 5G Home Internet, visit our website.