GSMA THRIVE CHINA 2020: Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon (pictured) highlighted the potential of 5G to revolutionise society and the economy, noting the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic made clear how the technology could be used to improve education, healthcare, human interaction and industry.

In a keynote, Amon said approximately 1.7 billion students around the world shifted to remote study after the pandemic struck, but added not all were able to make the transition due to a lack of connectivity. He argued 5G can help bridge such digital divides going forward, allowing “students worldwide to have high quality content, real-time interactivity, personalised content in a fully immersive experience”.

The executive called on operators around the world to join those already offering 5G-enabled PCs, which he called “a very powerful tool” to deliver access and “make sure the next generation is ready for the future society we’re building”.

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Amon said 5G will also be key in enabling a shift to remote healthcare, noting predictions more than 1 billion virtual care visits are expected in the US this year and tips half of medical services will be delivered virtually by 2030. Next generation service can enable “richer, more persistent social interaction” through technologies including VR and AR, he argued.

“We don’t have to explain any more many of the 5G use cases. It’s very clear its benefits in education, healthcare and social interactions in a time like this.”

Underscoring 5G’s global economic potential, Amon pointed to IHS Markit estimates that the technology will have a $13.2 trillion impact by 2035.

He noted 3GPP’s forthcoming Release 16 standards will be key to this progress, pushing the technology beyond enhanced mobile broadband to enable new features spanning industrial, mission critical, automotive and other enterprise-oriented use cases.

“These new 5G capabilities will open doors to an expanded set of opportunities for the global economy. The impact to virtually every industry will be significant and far reaching.”