Having sold cellular gateways for the better part of the last two decades, I have been in a position to see the growth as well as anyone.  The initial products were based on very slow cellular technology, making them ideal for only transferring small bits of data.  As such, they were usually used by those who really needed to connect remote assets badly enough ... police cars, oil wells and more.

 

As we hit the world of 3G, there started to be enough bandwidth to expand the appeal (and the increase in the network coverage didn’t hurt either).  We started to see cellular gateways used in applications such as retail, hospitality, mobile office and more.  We even started to see people “cut the cord” (meaning that they were using cellular-based communication even in places where traditional landlines were readily available).

 

The launch of 4G helped to continue this trend, right up until today.  Speeds are now capable of transmitting large amounts of data and the latency of the networks has decreased to the point that real-time applications like video are feasible and often comparable to landline speeds in some areas.

 

Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet- wait until 5G hits.

 

First, why is 5G different?  I mean 4G offered enough speed that many never even used all of the available bandwidth, so why do we need 5G?  In some cases, you don’t, and I have written about that a lot in the past.  But this will not stop 5G from sending the cellular gateway business into a “hockey stick” growth starting next year ... here is why:

 

The speeds and latency really are that much better

4G speeds were great, but when you started to load up users onto the connection, it started to show that it was not as fast or capable as your available DSL connection.  5G has got you covered ... most people will see as fast (or faster) speeds than they have now, meaning that it truly is a viable option to cut the cord at most small and medium businesses as well as in all homes.

 

People will value the portability of cellular more than they know

Ok, most of us (based on what I see at my kid’s sports practices) have found out the value of having a live Internet connection in their hands.  However, think of what it can do for your business ... you can move outside, such as in the case of a store wanting to sell their wares in the parking lot ... you can have the same connection as you move from site to site, such as in the case of a construction company ... you have a truly functional disaster recovery solution, in the event that you have to evacuate your building ... you don’t have to worry about construction accidents damaging your line when they are working outside.

 

The capacity of the network is staggering

One of the concerns that many had about 4G (and networks before it) was network capacity and its effects on speed.  Namely, if a network gets congested, will my connection speeds really suffer?  While no network has endless capacity, 5G offers the ability to support more connections than ever before, making this less of an issue.

 

It takes mobile gaming to a new level

Ok, this might not fall under the category of “corporate reasoning,” but one cannot deny the incredible amount of money spent by gamers each year.  5G provides a speed and latency environment that just screams out gaming, and I can see many of them looking for a common experience at home and on the road.

 

The cellular carriers won’t resist selling this by the ton

The final reason comes down to something simple ... cellular carriers will see this as a huge potential area of growth.  While the amount of data traffic will continue to grow exponentially over the next decade, not sure about the number of smartphone users.  Sure, they will add some here and there, but do you know anyone who wants a smartphone and does not have one?  Replacing DSL and cable lines in the home, especially for cellular carriers who do not have a landline counterpart in their company, is just too much of an exciting prospect.

 

While we like to avoid making these blogs too much of a sales pitch, Novotech looks forward to helping you make the leap towards using cellular gateways to power your business.  We have the best lines (list lines) and all of the expertise that you need to get started!