5G is the 5th generation cell technology as the video above and PCMag explains. Imagine that you have better connectivity than cable from your 5G hotspot or mobile and may as well truly cut the cord.Watch movies, play video games, enjoy virtual reality all through the 5G connection.
States like Connecticut are trying to get in early on this. US cell phone companies AT&T and Verizon have already rolled out their 5G offering and 2020 will be when major diffusion of 5G occurs. Just as the “Gig economy” took off with the previous 4G smart phones- expect a whole new slew of innovation with 5G.
The two biggest attractions for marketers with 5G will be:
- Mobility: With mobile use already at 3 hours 35 minutes a day in the US expectations are that mobile will surpass TV in terms of time spent in 2019. And that’s before 5G really kicks in.
- Fast=Decrease in latency: Latency or the delay between asking and getting replies due to network speeds will vastly improve. Google will get you even faster replies but even your messaging can get faster. The day is not far away when at a restaurant you see the dessert ads on your phone even before the waiter asks at the end of your meal!
So what should marketers be doing to get ready for 2020? It depends on where you are in the mobile race but here are three basic tips:
- Be mobile friendly: No matter what your company size or web presence make sure that your website is mobile friendly. Check mobile friendliness here.
- Reduce speed clutter at your end: OK 5G is better than 4 G but test your mobile site clutter here. Fix the bottlenecks at your end so that you are not causing delays in response to customers.
- Ensure that you see https: Look at your home page URL and if you don’t see “https” or the lock sign you see at your banks website get your website secured. Currently Google Chrome declares your http:// site to be “Not secure” and that’s bad for visitor confidence. Surprisingly major organizations seem to be lagging on this.
If you have nailed the above it is time to think about how you can improve your customer relationship across the customer lifecycle. More in a later post.