| My dad and my brothers have always been tech-savvy people. My dad worked on electronics when he was in the Coast Guard, so of course, he had to know about up-and-coming technologies and electronics so he could do his job well.
I grew up in a household with at least one computer. I remember having a computer before any of my friends, but it wasn’t because we could afford it more than other families. It was because we had one before having one computer per household seemed like a necessity.
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of watching my dad build a computer from different components. This interest also caught on with my brothers. Since then, my dad and my brothers have always had conversations about the latest technology and how they want to get a certain device once it comes out. So I wasn’t surprised when my family started talking about 5G technology a few Thanksgivings ago.
My dad lives in a rural area with not much around it. That’s what he wanted when he retired from the Coast Guard seven years ago. The area he lives in is so secluded that he can’t even get high-speed internet. The only Wi-Fi he has access to is through a hot spot from his wireless provider. You can imagine how pricey that could get if he goes over his data limit — especially if you’ve ever gone over your data plan.
When my dad first heard about 5G technology and its capabilities, you better believe he was more than excited to join society again with its binge-watching of TV shows or playing of online games. Well, 5G is here. And it’s going to be making a lot of people happy, not just my dad.
The technology isn’t only going to make consumers happy — it’s also going to make leading 5G providers a lot of money.5G Technology Is Worth Billions
5G technology has the opportunity to add tens of billions in revenue to companies. But competition is getting more and more intense now that we’re getting closer to the peak of this tech revolution.
Analyst firm CCS Insights raised its recent predictions because of how quickly this technology is expanding globally. CCS estimates that global 5G connections will hit 340 million by 2021 and pass the 1 billion mark in the first half of 2023. By 2025, the firm says 5G connections will number 2.7 billion, or more than one out of every five connections in the world.
A recent report on the global 5G services market estimates that the market will reach $123.27 billion by 2025, growing at 18% between 2020 and 2025.
Among the primary drivers for the quick growth of 5G technology will be increased demand for reliable and ultra-low latency connectivity service, the expansion of the Internet of Things, and an increase in data traffic.
5G is growing, and all the opportunities for the future of 5G are happening right now. It might not seem that big right now, but it has to start somewhere… like the first 5G smartphone.
Samsung and Verizon Partner to Make First 5G Phone
This week at the annual Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit in Maui, Samsung will be revealing another crucial component of its 2019 roadmap. A few weeks back, Samsung announced a foldable phone. Now there are rumors that the company will be revealing its 5G smartphone with mobile partner Verizon.
As of right now, not many details have been revealed. Both Samsung and Verizon are aiming for a release sometime in the first half of next year. Samsung isn’t the only phone maker that’s promising to deliver smartphones in 2019. OnePlus and Motorola are also in the works of creating their own 5G smartphones. According to rumors, Apple announced that it doesn’t expect to embrace the technology until 2020.
It’s a race for tech companies to be the first to release a smartphone that supports 5G technology. Samsung and Verizon might not be the first — only time will tell. But it’s going to be a fast race that investors are keeping an eye on.
This isn’t Samsung’s first attempt at 5G technology. Back in 2017, it showed off its 5G home router at the Mobile World Congress. And it isn’t Verizon’s first hand at 5G service, either. Verizon has been unleashing the beginning of 5G home service to U.S. cities like Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.
Verizon’s 5G home broadband will be available to a bigger portion of the country because the technology won’t be reliant on cables to connect the technology. It will provide fast and reliable internet access to customers like my dad, who otherwise couldn’t access high-speed internet… or any internet, for that matter. Since the technology will be cable-free, Verizon will be able to get new customers, which means more revenue, but even better, consistent revenue.
2019 is going to be a huge year for 5G technology. It’s going to be the year where 5G really starts to ramp up. As things ramp up in the 5G world, you’re going to want to learn more about these 5G stocks. |
