LIVE FROM HUAWEI PRODUCT AND SOLUTIONS LAUNCH 2020, LONDON: A panel of experts called for more collaboration between telecom companies, start-ups and other industries to develop new use cases for 5G.

Sara Shepherd, team manager covering mobile journalism and innovation at BBC News (pictured, far left) argued nothing “groundbreaking” had been developed on the back of 5G so far, but said such outcomes were on the horizon.

A key challenge will be to keep costs in check, she said, noting this as a major barrier to adopting the technology.

Geraldina Iraheta, director of business development at technology innovation company Digital Catapult (pictured, second from right), explained “you can’t rely on one set of companies” to drive adoption of 5G, with the job involving more than the individual efforts of operators and governments.

She claimed advances will come from start-ups developing and showcasing new use cases, but noted such efforts must be supported by established companies who she urged to be “willing to experiment” to “unlock new use cases and see how they can benefit businesses”.

“We need more investments into start-ups to develop products and devices. Experiments are deemed risky, but if companies experiment now they can see real benefits early to their businesses”.