3 ways to know if your business could benefit from 5G

• There's been a lot of hype around the promise of 5G, and some businesses can benefit from it.
• If your business occupies at least 500,000 square feet, 5G could provide the right connectivity.
• The tech may be right for your business if you require especially tight security and/or low latency.
• This article is part of "5G Playbook," a series exploring one of our time's most important tech innovations.

In recent years, the buzz surrounding 5G technology has been hard to ignore. Telecom giants have been hyping up 5G as the next big thing in connectivity. But the latest generation of mobile-broadband technology might not be necessary for every business, despite all the noise. Or it might be just what your business needs. 

The readiness of your business for 5G depends on a combination of factors, including the size of your operation, the need for security and low latency, and the extent of your coverage requirements. As 5G networks continue to expand and evolve, it's essential to assess how this technology can optimize your business processes, improve efficiency, and drive innovation.

Shahid Ahmed, the executive vice president of new ventures and innovation at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., shed light on some things to consider surrounding 5G adoption.

Consider your space

One of the most significant factors to assess when evaluating the need for 5G is the physical space your business operates within. According to Ahmed, the bigger your space, the more likely you are to benefit from 5G. He cited airports, warehouses, auto plants, and industrial manufacturing facilities as examples of large spaces that could benefit.

"Imagine you have 1 million square feet of real estate indoors, like a warehouse or a factory plant," Ahmed said. To use traditional wired internet, he said, "you have to have so many access points to cover a million square feet that it's almost not economical. He added: "You have to put close to 6,000 to 7,000 WiFi access points to cover 1 million square feet. With 5G, you could do it with a handful, 10 or maybe 12 at the most."

Ahmed went on to say the cables for traditional wired internet not only took up valuable real estate but also created a management headache over maintaining 6,000 access points. And at the end of the day, it still may not offer enough coverage. 

While 5G can benefit businesses of all sizes, the cost-effectiveness and practicality of deployment may vary. Smaller businesses might not see as immediate a need for 5G as larger enterprises or industries with significant connectivity demands. In fact, Ahmed said that a loose rule for 5G was: Large spaces of about half a million square feet or more benefit.

Consider your security needs

If your business deals with sensitive data or requires high levels of security, 5G can be a wise choice. Ahmed said that some of his clients had been asking how to automate and connect devices without being exposed to security risks. 

"And that's where 5G really, really shines better than anything else," Ahmed said. "Because 5G is a dedicated spectrum. It's sanctioned by the FCC. It's not unlicensed — it's licensed. And 5G security is significantly more robust than anything WiFi has today because of that."

Consider how latency affects your business

Low latency, or minimal delay in data transfer, is crucial for many applications. Industries such as automotive manufacturing, construction, and even entertainment benefit greatly from 5G's low latency.

"Latency means jitter or lag," Ahmed said. "It's very important for industrial companies to have a very low-latency but high-bandwidth network. For example, any machine-vision camera — basically a camera with AI in the backend — essentially processes thousands of transactions per second.

"It can simultaneously count the number of people coming in and out and be able to tell whether you're wearing your hard hat or not and be able to tell whether somebody shut the door properly or not. You don't want to be a minute late when you're walking in a danger zone. You want to be instantaneous."