Transcript 0:01 Now that we understand the big opportunities that exist for 5G, I want to dig into how 5G might change some foundational aspects for our businesses or where our businesses should be headed. 0:16 So here's some, some questions I want you to consider for today. You know, what is the future of cloud and edge and- 0:34 Welcome to The Peggy Smedley Show, the podcasting voice of IoT and digital transformation, with your host, Peggy Smedley. Hello, listeners, and welcome to today's edition of The Peggy Smedley Show. 0:48 I'm your host, Peggy Smedley. Today on the show I'm gonna be talking all about 5G. A new report from Ericsson looks at how to connect American enterprises to the 5G innovation platforms. 1:03 It specifically looks at how to advance your 5G strategy. 1:09 We'll look at the report here on the first segment, then I will give you some of my thoughts about the future of 5G and how it will intersect with the cloud and edge computing. 1:20 Stick around for that because we have a lot to talk about. Later on in the show I'll be talking with some great guests as always. 1:26 I will be interviewing Ron Gonen, founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners, and then I will wrap up the show with Hernan Sáenz, Global Head of Performance Improvement Practice at Bain. So, uh, stick around. 1:41 Those are gonna be some, uh, great discussions. So let's get started. 4G swept the nation, delivering greater bandwidth and creating millions of jobs for Americans. The economic impact was large, too. 1:55 Innovation built on 4G and infrastructure contributed to something like $250 billion in GDP growth. 5G is also set to change the course of business. 2:09 It is estimated 5G enabled innovations are expected to contribute something like $1.5 trillion by the end of the decade. Yep, I'm talking about a trillion, and that's with a T. 2:24 And there are some big opportunities to be had here as well, but businesses need to understand how 5G is going to shape enterprises, I think, in the months and years ahead. 2:37 The Ericsson report specifically identifies six opportunities or advances that you can use for your 5G strategy. 2:47 Now I wanna take a look at those on this segment today, and first I wanna talk about what you need to think about. And it suggests we will see 5G based on personal communication for all. 3:02 Now this is really interesting because we see smartphones as one of the biggest opportunities for early 5G adoption. Now this is great news for a workforce that often turns to their phone for an answer. 3:20 Now it's not surprising there because enterprises can use 5G to explore new productivity applications. 3:29 Ericsson suggests we may see more proliferation of video communication since the post-pandemic offices as one example, since, you know, people are staying at home. But how fast, think about this, is this coming? 3:47 Now Ericsson put some numbers to this. It says there will be 122 million 5G subscriptions just in North America alone by 2022. Now think about that. That number's crazy to me. 4:02 In fact, Ericsson goes as far as to say failure to upgrade to 5G smartphones in 2022 will restrict you to older technology until 2025. 4:16 Now this is due to the fact that the average lifespans of enterprise phones is 2.52 years. I mean, that's just... Th- those kind of... 4:26 That analysis is crazy to me, but that's what they've got out there and, and if you think about it, it makes sense. So all right, let's move on to number two. 4:36 Another opportunity for business is greater flexibility in work outside the fiber footprint. 4:43 With nearly 42% of the American workforce now working at home in the past nine months of the pandemic, and more than 36 million of these employees expected still to be fully at home in 2025, 5G offers access reliability connectivity literally from anywhere. 5:06 So Ericsson also suggests there's an extra layer of security for remotely accessing data by leveraging 5G. Now think about that. 5:17 This is actually some pretty great news when you think about the opportunities again for 5G. 5:25 And I've been talking about 5G for a while now, for a while now, saying that 5G really opens up some great business strategies and opportunities by leveraging, you know, just speeds and feeds. 5:37 But moving on to the third opportunity, connectivity and connecting an ultra-mobile workforce with 5G. Now this one is for workers who are, you know, often on the move. 5:50 You know, I always think about because we talk a lot about the construction workers, or let's even think about salespeople who are always jumping around, going and meeting people. 5:59 The build-out of 5G, you know, the mmWave, in zones with a high concentration of ultra-flexible workers.You know, we eliminate their need to hunt down reliable wireless connections when they're on the go. 6:16 You know, 5G will help transform any location into a high-performance work environment. 6:24 You know, think about, uh, airports, or as I always say, construction job sites, you know, 'cause they're moving from location to location. 6:32 Here, 5G can also help businesses leverage edge computing, network slicing, and, and, and so much more if you really kind of put your mind to it. You know, and I think there's just a lot of opportunities there. 6:46 Now if we look at Ericsson's report again, the fourth opportunity that they point to is 5G for wireless branch office connectivity. 6:55 Now 5G enables small and even midsize branch offices the ability to leverage two redundant wireless paths for both primary and backup. 7:07 Now here they're suggesting this leads to lower cost, maybe even better bandwidth, efficiency, uh, even access to critical applications. 7:17 So I think that's pretty interesting, especially when we talk about the size of a business. Now number five on their list is 5G offers new innovations at major campuses. 7:27 Now this is interesting for enterprises that might, uh, look to early evaluation of 5G applications for their own use, followed by the co-creation of 5G applications with ecosystem partners and even customers. 7:45 It also offers the opportunity to develop 5G innovations for own use or for sales to customers. Think about in colleges or courses can explore new 5G use cases. 8:01 You know, if I think about this, we'll likely see collaboration among students, maybe faculty, and enterprises to develop and test 5G-enabled solutions. 8:12 Now to me, I think this is where innovation's at its best because you can start thinking about new ways to apply 5G and develop things we haven't even thought about for where we can apply it in so many different industries when we're thinking about what campuses can do with it. 8:30 Now finally, I think Ericsson suggests there's a huge opportunity to introduce 5G in industrial applications. 8:38 Now this is where I get really stoked about it because I, I'm, I really agree that there's major opportunities here, and I think we, we're just beginning to really leverage 5G in so many opportunities. 8:51 I've mentioned a few examples on the show in the past, but here's a few more I want to share with you because remote operation of trucks and drills in underground mines I, I think is really exciting. 9:04 How about smart bolts and environmental tracking in mines? I mean, think about what can be done here. How about proactive maintenance for the oil and gas industry? You know, thinking about the digital twins. 9:17 I think digital twins right now are really coming into their own, and I think there's so much we can do here. You know, new build of large warehouses in major metropolitan markets for delivery in hours. 9:30 You know, w- we're speeding up everything so quickly, right? At seaports we can automate container handling from inbound ships to outbound trucks. 9:40 I mean, we've all been talking about the supply chain and what a disaster that is, but think about how we can expedite the process and really, you know, enhance it so much. 9:50 At airports we can manage all outdoor activities and handle goods inside. I mean, just that whole cargo of things can really change. At rail and road transition points we can automate individual package handling. 10:06 I mean, we all love that. We want, you know, things faster, quicker, easier. We're really changing the way things can be done. And quite simply, we can connect the unconnected as I like to say. 10:18 And just imagine when more things are connected, we change and we, we are improving the digital divide, and that is so vital when we think about it from a global perspective, just from a local perspective. 10:32 And we can move from a wired to a wireless cellular connectivity world, you know, locally, you know, let less, let alone globally. You know, we can bring greater flexibility to Industry 4.0. 10:46 I think that is so powerful, you know, which is vital for business today, and it just improves everything we do. So let me just say here's my opinion for today, and I think this is the things we have to think about. 11:01 Now that we understand the big opportunities that exist for 5G, I want to dig into how 5G might change some foundational aspects for our businesses or where our businesses should be headed. 11:15 So here's s- some questions I want you to consider for today. You know, what is the future of cloud and edge? And, you know, h- how will they duke it out? Or, or will they duke it out? 11:29 I mean, I think they will, you know. Will 5G really push both to the tipping point literally? You know, how will it help im- enhance them, make them better, you know? 11:42 With faster speeds and feeds, won't most things be able to be done right out at the edge? You know, how will the edge and the cloud find their place in this world? 11:55 I mean, that's exciting when we think about what innovation can do. 12:00 Perhaps there are some opportunities for both to work in harmony.I mean, that's where we think about when we're talking about autonomous vehicles, when we're talking about things that we wanna do, where, at what point will they work together? 12:15 What point will they work separately? But one thing is for sure, the future is all about faster speeds and feeds, and 5G is making it all happen, and that's what's really super, super exciting. 12:30 So here's my tip for today. Consider how 5G might change your business, your world, what we're doing. 12:39 Ericsson suggests by 2022 will be a pivotal time for all businesses to take advantage of 5G opportunities, and I agree. 12:51 With American service providers investing a whopping $30 billion annually in cellular infrastructure, we need to consider the opportunities in front of us right now. 13:07 What steps will you take in your business, whatever industry you're in, wherever you are today, to prepare for a more connected tomorrow, but a more connected tomorrow right now? You can't wait. 13:22 2022 is right around the corner, but you have to be thinking about how 5G is going to change your business model and how it's going to make you more competitive to service your customers. 13:37 Because your customers are very demanding. You're one of those customers, and you know how demanding you are of the businesses you expect service from. 13:47 But you can leverage 5G to make a difference, and that's what's so exciting, 'cause 5G is here now, and we're able to leverage it. All right. 13:57 Well, that's the end of all the time we have today, but as always, I wanna continue this discussion on social media, so I'd love for you to tweet at me at connectedwmag, share your thoughts with me, and tell me what you think. 14:11 What, what can we do together? So, uh, we're gonna end this discussion right now, but check out our website at connectedworld.com or check our show website at thepeggy smedleyshow.com if you've missed any past segments. 14:23 But we're gonna take a quick commercial break, but we will be back as I interview some amazing guests as always. 14:29 Remember, this is The Peggy Smedley Show, the podcasting voice of IoT and digital transformation, and with great technology comes great responsibility. Go get that quick cup of coffee. We will be right back. 14:41 [upbeat music]
