5G is making a lot of noise, but there’s a risk that it will divert attention from more fundamental issues. It’s costly, unproven and probably unsuitable as a rural solution – but investments could steal resources and focus from the need to increase rural connectivity with existing and proven technologies, such a 4G / LTE.
There’s no doubt that 5G has captured the world’s attention. It offers significant advantages and has great potential to increase access speeds, enable new services and to facilitate entirely new business models. But, while 5G captures the headlines, it diverts attention from some more fundamental issues.
As we have noted, time and time again, with so much of the world lacking even basic connectivity, there are bigger issues at stake. 5G is expensive and requires a much greater density of cells than has ever been deployed in previous generations of mobile network. As a result, it’s hardly suitable for the most remote regions. It will be widely deployed but is likely to be focused in metropolitan areas. It will not solve the connectivity problems of the many communities that remain beyond the reach of today’s networks.
And yet, the vendor community is now focused almost exclusively on the race to deploy 5G. There is a risk that the needs of the unconnected will be overlooked, once more, as attention is occupied on a new – and as yet, unproven – technology. In this context, it was disappointing to see so much focus on 5G at West Africa Com in Dakar. In our opinion, more attention should be paid to fundamental problems, such as enabling 4G connectivity to connect the unconnected. There’s a real risk that the advent of 5G will, once again, lead to the needs of the unconnected being marginalised.
That’s why we’re going to make sure that we stay focused on solving this problem, through the delivery of our key connectivity solutions. We’re supplementing this through a growing ecosystem of partners that can enable new services and value across the infrastructure we deploy. At WTL, we’re committed to expanding the connectivity footprint – and unlocking value for people and communities in even the most remote regions. Amidst all the hype, we think it’s vital to retain commitment to existing problems, not get side-tracked by shiny new toys. We call upon the organisers of African-focused events to ensure they remember the real problems that need to be solved.
