The Strong Impact of 5G on the global economy
The promise of 5G has been echoed throughout the business world for years. 5G’s faster speed, lower latency and ability to connect vastly higher numbers of devices than previous generations of mobile technology offered executives a glimpse of a more efficient and productive future.
By providing the basis for ubiquitous ultra-fast broadband, 5G opens up possibilities far beyond the reach of 4G or Wi-Fi 6. This promise has only grown more critical today, as leaders consider how best to repair, rethink and reconfigure their businesses for the post–COVID-19 world.
Qualcomm predicts the 5G value chain will generate up to $3.5 trillion in revenue in 2035, and support as many as 22 million jobs. Qualcomm also forecasts that 5G will boost global GDP growth by $3 trillion cumulatively from 2020 to 2035.
A report from PSB Research, which surveyed over 3,500 people, including business decision leaders, analysts and tech enthusiasts, found that as a result of 5G:
91% expect new products and services that have yet to be invented
87% expect new industries to emerge
82% expect small business growth and more global competition
85% expect it to make companies more globally competitive
89% expect increased productivity
Notably, an economic impact study conducted by IHS Markit and validated by Dr David Teecetheindicates that 5G will catapult mobile into the exclusive realm of General Purpose Technologies, like electricity and the automobile, that provide the foundation for massive innovation, give rise to new industries and benefit entire economies. This will happen as 5G advances mobile from a set of technologies connecting people to people and information to a unified fabric connecting people to everything.
According to the study, in 2035, when 5G’s full economic benefit should be realized across the globe, a broad range of industries – from retail to education, transportation to entertainment, and everything in between – could produce up to $12.3 trillion worth of goods and services enabled by 5G.