WEF releases 5G outlook series

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released a paper that addresses the question ‘why 5G can help us build back better and benefit everyone’ aiming at identifying specific opportunities to ensure 5G fulfils its role as a premier enabling technology following the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the paper, 5G can buttress digital transformation as the world emerges from the global pandemic. First, 5G will help facilitate industry transformation and secure superior economic growth as we emerge from the pandemic. Second, 5G can democratise access to, and affordability of, computing which could help to close the digital divide across regions. Third, public-private partnerships will be key as governments seek to sustain economic recovery following the pandemic. Fourth, countries urgently require a clear strategy for cross-industry investment and a supportive policy that removes barriers and facilitates private sector involvement. And fifth, over the course of the next decade, the power of 5G will be realised in combination with other technologies that are evolving in parallel.