TRENDS
14
5G Is the
Road to Tomorrow
The fifth generation of wireless technology may
revolutionize how we drive and how we’re driven.
BY RUSS BANHAM
Few things in life are certain, but one of them appears to be
the inevitably of self-driving cars. Although some disparage this possibility because
of safety concerns and the possible loss of personal freedom, others can’t wait to
hop into an autonomous car and say, “Home, please.”
This latter group may get their wish sooner rather than later as mobile 5G network
services become more widely available. 5G—the fifth generation of wireless
technology—promises significantly faster transmission speeds than 4G platforms,
in addition to latency (the time lag between the initiation and reception of communications)
as low as one millisecond. This near-instantaneous delivery of information
will be crucial for the multiple sensors in autonomous cars and trucks to rapidly
respond to an imminent danger like a giant pothole—or a pedestrian.
ILLUSTRATION BY HELEN MUSSELWHITE