Many businesses, analysts, and tech enthusiasts are already excited about new 5G technology, and what it will be capable of; from super-fast speeds to the implementation of industrial IoT. However, 5G networks are still not widely available, which has tempered some of the enthusiasm around this emerging technology.
However, this lack of 5G availability is set to change this year, according to the Qualcomm president, Cristiano Amon, who spoke on the subject at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"We should see 5G in all metropolitan areas in the United States, as well as in China, Korea, Japan, and Europe towards the end of 2020," Amon told Yahoo Finance.
5G has been the talk of Davos
“5G is good for Qualcomm. It's been front and center here in Davos. If you look at our company, we've been through a lot, in '18 and '19, but I think we made the right investments.”
Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm.
5G will be a huge benefit to the tech industry over the next decade, and players such as Qualcomm are perfectly placed to take advantage. New equipment – both at the infrastructure and device level – is already widely available, and Amon believes that this is already having a positive impact on business.
“5G is good for Qualcomm. It's been front and center here in Davos," he said. "If you look at our company, we've been through a lot, in '18 and '19, but I think we made the right investments.”
However, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. In the interview, Amon referenced the legal battle with Apple, which spanned 2018 and 2019. Apple accused the chipmaker of forcing companies to pay huge fees for its patents. And whilst this issue was eventually settled by the two companies, it has had a lasting impact on both, stalling some areas of their 5G programmes.
And thanks to issues such as the one mentioned above, and the difficulty in securing permits to erect 5G antennas, Amon believes that 5G has gotten off to a slow start.
Add to this the growing concerns, in most part fuelled by bad science and fake news, and it’s easy to see why some experts remain sceptical about the speed with which 5G can be implemented. But Aon remains optimistic, saying, "5G creates new excitement about the mobile segment, and it's been a good thing for the company.”
- Get the latest 5G stocks news today
- How 5G and Wi-Fi 6 will transform networking
- We reveal how 5G technology works
- Here's what to expect from 6G in 2030
