5G service is clearing the way for the next generation of electronics. We’re seeing that it is so much more than having the Internet on your smartphone. It gives us everything from enhanced virtual-reality video games, to remote surgery. While it has been a slower rollout, we’re continuing to see waves of 5G-enabled gadgets.
Samsung Electronics Co. has teamed up with Verizon Communications Inc. to offer wireless 5G routers – ones that have the ability to match performance of wired broadband. There’s also 5G-compatible laptops from several makers. Among the latest: Lenovo Group Ltd. in August teamed up with AT&T Inc. to release a 5G laptop, the ThinkPad X13 5G. Samsung in June also introduced a new laptop offering a 5G chip – the Galaxy Book Go 5G.
If you want a 5G connection on your yacht, miles offshore? Check out the Meridian 5G, a Monaco-based provider of internet services for superyachts advertises what it calls a 5G Dome Router (much like Pepwave’s HD Dome routers). It provides a combination of antennas and modems that allows yachts sailing within about 60 miles of the coast to access 5G connectivity.
New drone technology unveiled in August by Qualcomm Inc. with 5G and artificial-intelligence capabilities. The technology, called the Qualcomm Flight RB5 5G Platform, enables higher-quality photo and video collection, the company says. Drones equipped with the 5G technology can be used across a range of industries, among them movie making, mapping and emergency services like firefighting, Qualcomm notes.
Additional hardware will include Internet of Things type devices like our smart speakers and doorbell cameras. This can of course apply not only to home and office appliances, but industrial equipment, hospital equipment, vehicles, etc. So as the coverage of 5G service slowly expands, so does the market of new technology to harness its power.