From sole proprietorships through to multinational corporations and everything else in between, robust and reliable internet connectivity is vital to success, whether you’re in the office, working from home, or out and about meeting clients.

That’s why the current roll out of 5G is going to make a huge difference to businesses of all sizes and across every industry. Before we delve into how and why 5G will benefit businesses in Singapore, we need to first understand what 5G is and how it builds on the current 4G LTE technology that the vast majority of us use.

What is 5G?

Many years ago, we used 0G and 1G on analogue platforms before shifting over to digital alternatives like 2G in the early 90s which brought with it SMS and picture messages/MMS. Then 3G introduced mobile internet use, and 4G later opened the way to smoother streaming and sharing capabilities.

5G, short for fifth generation, is the next step in mobile network technology. Here are the key features of this revolutionary mobile technology:

1. Faster connection

While maximum download speeds will depend on how much 5G coverage is available, they’ll theoretically range from 1Gbps to 10Gbps. This is roughly 10 times faster than the maximum speed of 4G, which is 1Gbps.

Even though that’s in gigabits and not gigabytes, it’s still incredibly fast. In fact, 1Gbps - the low end of the speed spectrum - equates to 125 megabytes per second. This means lightning-fast file downloads. And with the increased upload speeds, you’ll have no issues sending documents and files, however large they may be!

2. Low latency

Latency is the speed it takes for data to go from one point to another, and it is typically measured in milliseconds. For example, it’s the amount of time it takes for an online game to respond to your control or for you to catch the results of a live soccer match. While 4G has an average latency time of roughly 50 milliseconds, 5G shrinks it down to 10 milliseconds or less.

3. Bigger bandwidth

An increased bandwidth means that you will be less affected by the increasing network traffic. Theoretically, 5G will offer up to 5 times more bandwidth than 4G, which would minimise network congestion while maintaining speeds and connectivity.

Benefits 5G Will Bring to Your Singapore Business

How will 5G help you in day-to-day processes? Here’s some of the many ways we predict it will impact businesses:

1. Supply chain & logistics

COVID-19 has seen a shift towards online shopping, and it looks like that’s going to be a trend for the foreseeable future. With 5G, order processing systems will be optimised, streamlining the processes of logistics companies which can now avoid bottlenecks hindering order fulfilment and inventory updates, reducing downtime and increasing turnover.

Logistics will benefit from 5G too. From quicker updates on ongoing shipments to optimised routes, and maybe even the driverless transportation of goods.

2. Telecommuting

COVID has also sped up the implementation of systems that enable employees to work from home. With increasing acceptance of flexible working solutions, it looks like this trend will continue in Singapore and around the world. The introduction of 5G will give those telecommuting - even if only for a couple of days a week - a reliable network connection to download and upload large work-related files quickly, minimising wait times and maximising productivity.

Also, communication and collaboration will be improved. When the 5G network is fully implemented, communication tools will be more affordable. Coupled with the aforementioned faster data speeds, low latency, and increased bandwidth, there will be a drastic reduction in call dropouts, pixilation, and lags during video meetings.

3. Smart offices

While 5G continues to be rolled out across Singapore, it might be best to continue business internet at the office on a fibre broadband connection. However, if you use this in combination with a 5G business enterprise mobile setup, you and your staff will have the most capable, fastest data network technology wherever you are. This in turn will drastically improve workflow through the efficient management and collection of data.

However, many tend to be apprehensive to tap into the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G due to security and safety concerns. But if you want to secure the absolute best small business internet plans Singapore has to offer, M1 is your go-to. With guaranteed quality service, you can rest assured when you opt for a lightning-fast business fibre connection like ours. Speedy and reliable, you can also subscribe to bundles that come with managed Cloud security for advanced threat protection features too!

4. Education

Instead of sitting a new employee down in front of a computer and making them go through slideshow after slideshow which may be a bit tedious, 5G’s low latency means you can experiment with more creative ways for onboarding and training, like harnessing virtual and augmented reality.

5. Improved customer experience

Another way to utilise augmented and/or virtual reality is to improve customer experience, and the sky’s honestly the limit when it comes to this. For fashion retailers, returns and the costs associated with it could be avoided by offering an app that uses augmented reality to allow customers to ‘try on’ clothes at home before making their purchase.

Given the plethora of benefits 5G has to offer, there is one thing we can say for sure — with the combination of low latency, high bandwidth and super-fast speeds, time that might otherwise be spent waiting around for downloads to finish or asking colleagues to repeat themselves, can be better utilised.

If reading this inspired you to kickstart your move to 5G before your business does, get a taste of what’s to come with our 5G Booster pack today!