Earlier this year, a report from telecoms analyst Umlaut identified the West Midlands region as the best connected to 5G in the UK. While in 2021, only 22% of the region was connected to 5G, that has since risen to 65%, beating the second-best region, Greater Manchester, by 12%.
But while this is obviously a positive for the West Midlands, and the Midlands as a whole – Birmingham, Staffordshire, and Leicester are all experiencing a strong 5G rollout – there is still a way to go until the entire region is 100% connected.
This is important because, as technology grows and becomes more advanced, 5G will need to be there to help businesses and consumers utilise it. With this in mind, let’s look at the potential benefits of 5G and why it is important that the UK gets fully integrated.
5G For The People
At a basic level, 5G is there for people’s connectivity to be faster, more efficient, and more convenient. That’s how the majority of us will notice it. If we’re loading up an app while listening to Spotify – and with around ten other apps working in the background – we still want to be on that app ultra-fast, and use it without any lagging or latency.
At the moment, that’s not always possible, but good 5G connectivity could make it so. This is especially important when you think about the type of apps that are being developed in 2023. The mobile gaming audience, for instance, is one of the largest markets in the world. There are 3.9 billion users who play games on their smartphones, and as the years go by, the games only get better.
For the last few years, the slow rollout of 5G in the UK has not been a big issue when it comes to game connectivity – mobile games right now are typically simple algorithms. But as the online gaming industry grows, games are getting stronger to meet the demands of the audience, with unique mechanics and features that demand more from the smartphone. Let’s look at that 35% that does not have strong 5G connectivity in the West Midlands. Although users won’t miss it in the next couple of years, they will begin to feel 5Gs absence as the decade progresses.
5G For Businesses
This is also the case for businesses. For online businesses in the UK who depend on consumers being able to adequately use their product, they will be glad about the success of the rollout in the West Midlands, while also hoping that the final push toward 100% comes sooner rather than later. Eventually, if the UK is to compete with the best global companies, they will not want connectivity to be the disadvantage.
In China, for instance, the 5G network covers 100% of its administrative regions at country level, according to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. This means that businesses in China have all the 5G benefits of drastically improved speeds, IoT support, reduced costs, bigger digital space, as well as the ability to effectively future proof their company. While the UK rollout is going strong – and has increased dramatically over the last two years – it will need to continue in this vein to bolster organisations and allow them to remain at the forefront of the world stage.
The Future Of 5G
At one stage, it looked like 5G might only be felt in the big cities like London, Birmingham and Edinburgh over the next ten years, so the news that the West Midlands has the best coverage should be a source of relief for businesses and consumers alike – and it shows that the money put into rolling out 5G in the region has been well spent. The UK has set a target of populating all areas with standalone 5G by 2030, so hopefully the rollout can continue and everyone in the UK can start to reap the benefits.
