5G on full throttle

Turn on the TV any time of day, and you’ll likely see commercials from the major cellular carriers promoting their ultra-high-speed 5G networks (or the fifth-generation standard of broadband cellular networks). With 5G advertising on full throttle, it’s clear that painfully slow internet speeds will be a thing of the past.

5G adoption is on the rise, and according to PwC,

80% of the U.S. population will have 5G coverage available at home or at work as of this summer.

Adoption has been spurred on by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon launching their 5G networks in 2020 and by Apple rolling out its first 5G iPhone.

So what does this really mean?

5G is 100 times faster than 4G, allowing download speeds to jump from 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) to 10 Gbps. This translates to the ability to download a two-hour movie in 3.6 seconds versus six minutes on 4G or 26 hours on 3G, according to the Consumer Technology Association.

This table will give you a sense of how internet speed has improved over time:

Source: www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-fast-is-5g/

Latency improvements will also decrease the time it takes for a document or email to travel between two devices, translating to great gains in efficiency for data, communication and file transfers. As a result, 5G will increase the efficiency of multi-device homes and offices, which is important in a post-pandemic world, where high numbers of people will continue to work remotely.

5G users are projected to exceed 4G users in the U.S. for the first time by 2024 and according to eMarketer and Insider Intelligence,

It’s estimated that 88% of North American mobile subscriptions will be 5G by 2026.

This tidal wave of adoption makes it abundantly clear that 5G is a game changer for every category and every person, period.

Next-generation content in a 5G world

5G is a treasure-trove of opportunity for publishers, content creators and advertisers—and will take the practice of content creation and delivery to a new level. It unlocks new creative formats and up-levels digitally immersive experiences through increased bandwidth.

Here is how we expect this to play out across a sampling of channels and touchpoints:

We’ve come a long way from AOL’s “You’ve got Mail” to today’s connected, “always-on” world, and 5G will pave the way for enhanced graphics and next-generation content that will upend the media landscape.

Media companies will upgrade production and distribution for a mobile-first experience, and immersive creative like AR/VR will become the new norm. Meanwhile, legacy “click-away” ad units that drive to external branded pages or websites will dwindle as contained content experiences allow advertisers to deliver immersive experiences.

We’ve collectively been waiting for years for 5G to come to fruition to the point of the hype around it becoming an industry punchline, but the future is finally here, and brands that seize on the opportunity will have a significant first-mover advantage.