10 Ways 5G Will Change Your Life

I grew up watching The Jetsons reruns. Flying cars, auto-prepared meals and a distinct lack of walking were the way of the future.

While we're still years away from some of these tech fantasies being made realities, we are closer than ever to many of these lifestyle wonders becoming fixtures in our lives that we don't even think twice about. We're officially (almost) living in the future. (See Ready or Not, Here Comes 5G.)

The next phase of wireless mobile standards has been frequently idealized as of late. The telecom industry is already prepping for the next big thing, and consumers are eagerly awaiting whatever that may bring. Outgoing Director General of GSMA Anne Bouverot has said, "By 2020 we will know what it is. We will have defined it," with it being, of course, the emergence of 5G. (See 5G Use Cases, Pre-Standards Groups Proliferate and NGMN Chairman Outlines His 5G Vision.)

For more on 5G, visit the dedicated 5G section here on Light Reading, and register to attend the upcoming "Building America's 5G Ecosystem" event in NYC.

Despite the cloud surrounding the inception of 5G, it will undoubtedly usher in a whole slew of technologies that aren't currently possible. Whether that means lightning-fast download speeds or having conversations with holograms is still up for debate, but here at Light Reading, we aim for the stars. (See 5G Visions Dazzle at MWC.)

Click the picture below to enter the world of 5G. A world where everything we own is connected. A world where cars fly, dogs talk and we are all traceable by our implanted health monitors. Enter at your own risk!

Figure 1: Flying Cars Flying cars are one of those inventions that seem really futuristic, but they might not actually be so far off. There have been plenty of failed attempts at flying cars, starting in the early 1900s. AeroMobil hasn't lost hope though, and anticipates releasing its first flying car in 2017. Though this may not be a mainstream endeavor quite yet, we're on our way to a reinvention of the car as we know it. Connecting cars with 5G might be the first step.
[Source: Wikipedia]

— Eryn Leavens, Copy Desk Editor, Light Reading