What 5G Has In Store For Mobile App Development

Can you assume a technology that could transfer millions of megabytes of data from your system to multiple devices connected globally in the blink of an eye? Well, that would be possible after the advent of the Fifth-generation wireless cellular network. In this fast-paced digital era, everyone wants everything faster and it’s difficult to overstate the importance of speed in daily routine activities. Quicker data speed is one such need that everyone craves for and the dominant technology that will make it practically feasible in the coming years is the 5G wireless network. Not only will it provide faster internet speed than current 4G network but also revolutionize various industrial sectors like production, automotive, health care, and energy, etc. with its humongous game-changing benefits.

As per the recent reports by GSMA, around 1.4 billion mobile devices will be running on the 5G wireless network by 2025. Added to that, according to IHS Economics, the global 5G value chain will enable $12.3 trillion of global economic output. These kinds of stats and predictions unveil the bright future of 5G, which encourages mobile app developers to build future-ready applications with 5G possibilities in mind. Considering the features and potentialities that 5G technology is powered with, telecom providers and mobile companies are edging closer towards 5G deployment.

All of this leaves behind plenty of questions that are striking the minds of many individuals today. Some of which include: What does 5G mean for billions of mobile users? How will it impact mobile app development? What would be the possible methods to prepare a mobile app for 5G revolution? Read this blog post that unleashes the answers to all similar questions along with some benefits that you could expect with the rollout of 5G in the coming future.

Understanding 5G: A brief overview

5G is a term that is used to express the next-generation of mobile networks beyond LTE (Long Term Evolution). It is the fifth generation of wireless technology engineered to increase the responsiveness and speed of wireless networks. With 5G evolution, data transmitted over the wireless network would travel at the rate of approx. 20Gbps with enhanced bandwidth and advanced antenna technology.

Before moving further towards the impact of 5G on mobile apps, it’s necessary for you to get a view of the immense power of 5G – something which you can only understand when you know the key differences between 5G and 4G.

Impact of 5G on mobile app development

Better device connectivity: The technology responsible for connecting the world via devices is the Internet of Things (IoT). Today, consumers are investing heavily on the trade of smart devices like smart cars, smart air conditioners, smart refrigerators, etc. as a result of their increasing demand. Since you can access all such devices with your smartphones, the invention of 5G would definitely increase the connectivity of smart devices.  

Prompt file transfer: 5G is poised to be a boon for those willing to transfer huge amount of data within seconds or milliseconds. Many data sharing apps revolve around the transfer of data, money, files or anything transferable from one account or device to another. 5G network uses the bits of the electromagnetic spectrum instead of radio waves, which will enable users to stream 4K videos from their mobile devices without any kind of lag or disturbance. 

Proliferated app revenue: Because of features like ultra-low latency and rocket-like buffering speed, programmers will have more chances to add new features and capabilities in the daily usable apps. Added functionalities will provide powerful and exceptional user experiences, which will not only help you increase the overall app revenue but also boost user retention.

Rise of 3D models: The app development services related to 3D gaming and virtual reality will get great hype after the arrival of 5G. The usage of 5G enabled mobile apps will allow cutting-edge 3D printers to create top quality 3D object models. Such type of mobile apps can be used in diverse areas spanning from education & construction to AI & Augmented reality. 

Reduced hardware reliance: The rise of 5G will reduce the dependency of mobile apps on the processing power of the hardware of mobile devices. Data centers will take responsibility for the processing power so that users can transfer millions of Mb of data without any kind of lag or loopholes. 

Improve ads quality: The advent of 5G will definitely change the ad quality of the ad in mobile apps.  The fast network speed of the wireless network allows advertisers to put up some interesting ads to entice their target audience, which includes VR ads, AR ads, video ads, etc.

Potential Challenges of 5G

Here are some challenges that developers might face after the advent of 5G: 

Security issues: The average speed of 5G network is predicted to be around 200-400 Mbps, which could create some serious complications in terms of privacy and security.

Updated business model: Due to the wider bandwidth and faster network speed, 5G wireless network will operate on a 5G based business model, the development of which will take a lot of time and effort.

Enhanced app functionalities: With 5G coming into practice, zero-latency & enhanced speed experience will help users to build more creative apps with enhanced functionalities that can work as per the 5G standards. 

How to build mobile apps as per 5G standards?

Implement Ambient Computing: It is the idea of delivering user digital experience using an electronic environment that is sensitive and responsive to the presence of people. The rising power of 5G will make the implementation of Ambient computing possible, which will help developers leverage this idea in mobile apps to provide more reliable connectivity. 

Adopt Cloud technology: Developers can build smarter and faster cloud-hosted apps by harnessing the true power of cloud technology through 5G. Most of the mobile app developers will be able to leverage the cloud technology as “Software as a Service”, which was restricted to desktops until now.  

Use VR technology: In this tech-savvy era, most of the businesses are using VR technology to provide better streaming experience to their audience. Due to the current network bandwidth and latency, streaming support through VR is not possible. 5G arrival will eliminate all these concerns and help developers to incorporate VR experiences into their mobile apps.

Embed AI and machine learning: The birth of 5G will provide a new life to AI-driven apps that will help users to connect remotely with the equipment and access a huge amount of data. Embedding AI into the mobile apps helps developers to turn analyzed results into on the fly-decisions more rapidly. 

Final Words

The paradigm shift of 5G will have a long-lasting impact on the wide range of industries. Though moving from 3G to 4G was a small step for technology, the transition from 4G to 5G will represent a quantum leap in reshaping the world. It would turn out to be another evolution of network technology that will create new innovations and provide enormous opportunities for the mobile app industry and beyond. 

If you are looking to find solutions to the above-written challenges and want to prepare your mobile app to become a part of the 5G race even before its release, then get in touch with our mobile app development strategists. Our team comprises industry and SDK specialists who brainstorm to deliver you the most comprehensive product. We pay heed to what our clients want, and we leave no stone unturned to deliver nothing but the best.