Key Takeaways from the Mobile World Congress 2019 MWC
Latest Takeaways from MWC 2019
Last week, Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) took place amid a bevy of excitement and activity. This year’s theme was “Intelligent Connectivity,” which accurately describes what is happening in the market these days. Not everything was celebratory, however. The event was often overshadowed by geopolitical squabbles over network security and heightened scrutiny over financial viability regarding emerging technology investments, such as 5G. 5G quickly became the buzzword at MWC. Despite the squabbling over the 5G hype, MWC 2019 served as an important milestone with 5G received the greatest share of exposure throughout the event.
Some of this year’s key takeaways from MWC include the following:
The New 5G, AI and IoT Trinity:
5G, AI, and IoT forms a new partnership. Last year at MWC, 5G was depicted as a strictly standalone technology. This year, the technology has definitely matured, as it was promoted and discussed in combination with AI and IoT. In addition, the AI hype witnessed last year also matured, defending AI as an important tool for managing networks efficiently by using machine learning. IoT was discussed from a “connected sensor” perspective. This makes more sense from a network management, use case, and financial consideration perspective.
Key Building Blocks for the 5G/AI and IoT Trinity. Several new product lines were introduced, including 5G handsets, which were demonstrated, including the LG V50 ThinO, Huawei Mate X, and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. Other products included 5G base stations, and intelligent network management solutions such as Telefonica’s Kit IoT platform. While 5G handsets and base stations still struggle with performance and battery life issues, the issues are becoming less bothersome with enhanced development.
The 5G, AI, and IoT Trinity promises miracles for telcos, consumers, and businesses alike. The potential use cases for 5G remain plentiful. A number of vendors were showing off the potential of 5G as the answer to business and personal Internet woes. It is predicted that 5G will give rise to new ideas for connected devices and other exciting new assets. The combination of software-defined networking (SDN), and network function virtualization (NFV) with 5G triggers shifts beyond traditional new technology rollouts.
The 5G, AI, and IoT Trinity Gospel still has a long road. This merge of technologies, alas, is still looking for additional converts. Scepticism over the trinity merge was high, especially pertaining to the financial benefits. Financial returns from investments was viewed with great caution by most business user attendees we talked to. In terms of consumers, the 5G handset pricing and size was a big turnoff, and it may be some time before talk about ROI is positive. This scepticism is similar to the hype a few years back that surrounded 3G and 4G, and this time the 5G fervor may be placing the cart before the horse. MWC attendees conclude that, while the technology is still developing, it is a bit premature at this point to define the hype. While it may not be economically viable today, additional technology solutions in the future may pay off with greater financial returns. This will help 5G users. The 5G rollout scenario will follow the depreciation cycle of 4G and other legacy standards. In fact, 5G may be gradually introduced into the network infrastructure as 4G capex is gradually replaced.The Future of 5G. 5G will gradually unfold its potential to enhance the customer experience by introducing super-fast mobile broadband; support IoT solutions with machine-type communications; and open new business opportunities through reliable and low latency communications. MWC 2019 was an important soundboard for preparing the future success of 5G, despite the hype created.
The Future of 5G. 5G will gradually unfold its potential to enhance the customer experience by introducing super-fast mobile broadband; support IoT solutions with machine-type communications; and open new business opportunities through reliable and low latency communications. MWC 2019 was an important soundboard for preparing the future success of 5G, despite the hype created.
