Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/981887
8 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2018 We've all had it happen: You dial a number on your cellphone, but it doesn't connect imme- diately. Sometimes you have to wait 10 or even 15 seconds before the other party's phone starts ringing. If you're like me, you curse at your phone, then at Verizon, and say, "They can put a man on the moon, but I have to wait 15 sec- onds for a phone call? This is an outrage!" Well, help may be on the way in the form of 5G. We've all heard plenty about 5G lately. Some companies are likely to be using 5G this year, but not commercially. The first commer- cial 5G services probably won't be available until 2020. But behind all the hoopla, what does 5G mean to us and our industry? The main thing to remember is that the switch from 4G to 5G is exponentially differ- ent than the move from 3G to 4G. The transi- tion from 3G to 4G meant a 10x increase in speed; 5G will be at least 1,000 times faster than 4G. Some carriers are claiming that we'll be able to download an HD movie in less than 10 seconds. (For reference, the 3G–4G upgrade cost billions of dollars worldwide. No word on what the 4G–5G switch will cost.) So, it's kind of a big deal. What does it mean for you and your customers? The Shaughnessy Report by Andy Shaughnessy, I-CONNECT007 5G: It's Kind of a Big Deal