Skift Take
5G mobile technology isn't here yet. But once it does emerge, smart hotels will be wise to provide access to the data network at their properties.
Over the next five years, a new generation of mobile technology will emerge that will change how people use their smartphones.
Hotels, in particular, will end up in the front lines of this shift. What if hotel guests can simply download any movie they want to their smartphone in a few seconds, and view it on the screen in their room, without using hotel Wi-Fi? What if meeting attendees can participate in a high-definition video meeting powered by a mobile data network?
5G New Radio will debut in the next year or two, giving consumers the ability to download at speeds up to 10 gigabytes per second; current 4G LTE connections can download about 50 megabytes per second at their peak.
The increased speed of data connections will also enhance many other aspects of the mobile experience.
"The communications technology is important, but what is also important is what comes along with that," said Keith Kressin, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm Technologies, during a panel at CES 2018 in Las Vegas this week. "With every jump in connectivity, there is a jump in computing; more artificial intelligence and immersion, remote computing with very low latency... there are a lot of companies
