EDITORIAL: The need for speed in adopting 5G

[webfact]

The need for speed in adopting 5G

By The Nation

 

If ‘Thailand 4.0’ is to be taken seriously, the country cannot be left behind in upgrading its support technology

 

The government needs to speed up the auction of critical radio frequencies for the private sector to develop fifth-generation (5G) mobile services if the country’s digital economic ambitions are to be taken seriously.

 

According to a Huawei analysis based on the World Bank’s GDP database of member-countries, 5G technology will usher in a new era for the Thai digital economy and society, with significant benefits for manufacturing industries, agriculture, wholesale and retail, public services and other sectors.

 

Generally speaking, the economy and society will be driven by mobile services that are at least 10 times faster than today’s speed using 4G technology. Besides the much greater speed, 5G also has better capabilities in terms of latency and Internet connections.

 

These powerful capabilities of the new infrastructure will pave the way for autonomous cars, tele-medicine and other services, especially a new generation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices that are currently not practical using the 4G spectrum.

 

Based on the World Bank’s database of Thailand’s GDP forecasts, Chinese telecom giant Huawei estimates that the 5G infrastructure would add US$56.7 billion (Bt1.78 trillion) to the country’s economy by 2035, or 4.56 per cent of GDP.

 

In the economic sphere, manufacturing industries will gain the most, $14.3 billion, followed by agriculture, forests and fisheries, wholesale and retail businesses, information and telecom services, finance and insurance, tourism and hospitality and transport and storage. For society at large, public and government services, healthcare and social work, education and utilities are among the major gainers.

 

Several countries – among them the United States, South Korea and Japan – have announced they will start commercial 5G services around 2019, while device and gadget makers are set to roll out 5G-enabled models to facilitate the faster and more capable mobile and related services.

 

With the biggest chunk of Thailand’s exports coming from manufacturing industries, the 5G infrastructure is expected to play the leading role in upgrading the competitiveness of Thailand’s export-oriented industries.

 

Machines and equipment used in manufacturing will soon be mostly Internet-connected, while artificial intelligence and automation will be standard features of new-generation factories so that the country can remain competitive in the international marketplace.

 

China, which is often dubbed “the world’s biggest factory”, is ready to take advantage of this new technology, so smaller countries such as Thailand will have to strive for more innovation to stay relevant. Most if not all manufacturing and service industries, from automobiles and electronics to farming, healthcare and hospitality, need to be “smart” by capitalising on the 5G infrastructure.

 

In other words, 5G will deliver what the Thailand 4.0 initiative is all about – from developing connected automobiles, electric vehicles and smart electronic gadgets to smart farming and factories using sensors, robotics, drones and other IoT applications, as well as virtual reality and augmented reality technology, among others.

 

Hence, the government needs to quickly empower the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, which is currently in limbo, to carry out its task of auctioning off the spectrum for the private sector so as to avoid a further delay in adopting the 5G technology.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30339990

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-02

[davehowden]

Thailand needs 5G like it needs another hole in the behind !

[gunderhill]

can't  say Ive ever  noticed 3-4g  being any good at all.

[simoh1490]

5G has to be pretty close to the bottom of the priority list of things Thailand needs.

[Get Real]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand 4.0’ is to be taken seriously

Yeah, I am taking it seriously. Result: Not needed at the moment.

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, simoh1490 said:

5G has to be pretty close to the bottom of the priority list of things Thailand needs.

Not at all.

Once users here realise they can access facebook in 5 milliseconds, it will create enormous potential - for instant time-wasting.

[lazygourmet]

3 hours ago, gunderhill said:

can't  say Ive ever  noticed 3-4g  being any good at all.

2.5g at its best 

[gunderhill]

2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Not at all.

Once users here realise they can access facebook in 5 milliseconds, it will create enormous potential - for instant time-wasting.

Only so many hours in a  day, can't  see they could possibly  waste any more  time, however Iv'e  no doubt  they will

[gunderhill]

12 minutes ago, lazygourmet said:

2.5g at its best 

May as  well use a  carrier  pigeon most of the time, at least it would be faster

[Eligius]

This rush towards '5G' should not be critically accepted or naively welcomed: humanity is steadily being de-humanised and turned into a mere extension of the Machine. You see the robot-like fixation by (especially) the young on their mobile phones already. This is not only in Thailand, but in England too, where I noticed (when I was there last year) that most people walking along the street are no longer looking at the people and things around them - let alone interacting with them - but are glued to their trivia-device (mobile phone).

 

In fact, some psychiatrists are now speaking of genuine mental health issues amongst (especially) young people who simply cannot function without their mobile phone. 

 

What will the robotisation of humanity be like under 5G and 20G (it will never stop)? I shudder to think.

 

Technology can be a very good tool, but it is a terrible Master!

[smutcakes]

I trust that those mobile providers who have needed to ask for the Government help in paying their costs after overbidding in the auction will be banned from bidding for these new ones. If they have money to pay for 5G licenses, they can certainly pay off the previous ones first without getting taxpayer subsidies.

[InnerCynic]

14 minutes ago, Eligius said:

What will the robotisation of humanity be like under 5G ...

Well, my money would be on the word "robot" as that's the technology that will render millions of people redundant.... Until the day that the robots learn how to steal you can bet your bottom dollar that things for the lower end of the zombified masses will only get nastier

[DrTuner]

Just imagine the speed of the netizens getting infuriated on 5G. You'll probably need a high speed camera to record it at all.

[Cadbury]

I am reminded of the gala piss-up hole-digging ceremony to launch the high speed rail link. At least we know that once the hoi polloi have a similar hole digging ceremony for the first 5G tower nothing will happen afterwards.

[Srikcir]

The government can't get the software right to make digital payments for bus fare.

And now it's priority is 5G?