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WHAT 5G COULD MEAN ( EVENTUALLY ) FOR HOTEL PROPERTY .
Contributed by ELLIS BOOKER
EOWNERS
networking in every room in a hotel : Indeed , T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray recently warned that 5G networks using the higher millimeter-wave frequencies “ will never materially scale beyond small pockets of 5G hotspots in dense urban environments .”
Its susceptibility to obstruction is why mmWave is just a part of the bigger 5G spectrum , and why devices will revert to slower , lower frequency networks like 4G and LTE to ensure connections don ’ t drop .
MARKETING THE PROMISE That ’ s not to say some brands haven ’ t been leveraging the 5G gold rush . Brands that embrace the possibilities can have first-mover advantage , at least from a marketing standpoint .
Consider that way back in 2015-16 , car maker Volvo grabbed headlines when it offered a VR experience , using Google Cardboard technology , for the introduction of its XC90 SUV . The VR put users in the driver ’ s seat for an idyllic ride through the countryside . This and other parts of the campaign were given credit for Volvo ’ s U . S . comeback , which included
15 months of consecutive sales growth in the U . S . market through September 2016 . In April , InterContinental Shenzhen in China , Shenzhen Telecom and Huawei announced a strategic cooperation agreement to create the world ’ s first 5G smart hotel . “ By introducing the hotel industry ’ s first end-to-end 5G network with integrated terminals and cloud applications ,” the partners said , “ the project will enable InterContinental Shenzhen to provide guests with the ultimate innovative luxury experience and open the door for the digital transformation of the entire hotel industry through 5G technology .”
A 5G Digital Indoor System on the hotel ’ s first floor and in the presidential suites will let guests access the 5G network to experience high-speed 5G downloads and uploads ; the presidential suites covered by the new network will provide guests with 5G hotel services such as cloud VR rowing machines , cloud games and 4K movies .
But subject experts like Brown say the real impact of 5G won ’ t be faster movie downloads , but rather as an enabling infrastructure for Internet of Things ( IoT ). And that future will take years to arrive .
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5 ON 5G
1 . Availability : By the end of 2024 , there will be 1.5 billion 5G mobile subscriptions , covering 40 % of the world and handling 25 % of all mobile traffic data . 2 . Speed : 5G is fast — up to 100 times faster than current cellular connections , making it faster even than the fastest home cable connections to the Internet . ( G has a theoretical maximum speed of 100 Mbps [ megabits per second ], while 5G has a maximum speed of 10 Gbps [ gigabits per second ].) 3 . Latency : Millimeter wave , or mmWave , 5G spectrum offers low latency , the delay in communicating across a network . Current cellular networks have around 20 milliseconds of latency . With 5G , this is reduced to as little as 1 millisecond . 4 . Connectivity : 5G is designed to connect to a far greater number of devices than a traditional cellular network and will accept small , inexpensive , low-power devices . This will accelerate the Internet of Things ( IoT ) era . 5 . New realities : Broadband speeds and low latency will usher in new products and experiences , including virtual and augmented reality systems for entertainment , exploration and training .
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