VIDEO INTERVIEW: 5G will not just be about increased speeds and reduced latency. According to Dr Paul Jacobs, executive chairman of Qualcomm – and who recently handed over the CEO reins to Steve Mollenkopf – 5G will mean a new level of network reliability and robustness.

“We’re considering what we can do to re-architect even the structure of the internet – as seen through mobile devices – to make it more reliable, accountable, private and secure,” he told Mobile World Live. “Those kind of things is where 5G ought to head.”

To illustrate the size of the 5G task ahead, Jacobs posed a question: what would it take to build a wireless system so you would feel comfortable putting your pacemaker controller in the cloud?

Jacobs spoke to Mobile World Live fresh from winning the 2014 GSMA Chairman’s Award, which recognises outstanding personal contribution to the growth and development of mobile communications around the world.

Jacobs reflected on the enormous change Qualcomm has undergone since its inception in the mid-1980s, moving from a CDMA2000 chipset firm to a company covering a wide array of mobile technologies and now pushing into adjacent industries, such as internet of things, wearables, automotive and smart cities.

And with his new role (executive chairman), Jacobs said he would be able to get back to his “real passion” – creating the next wave of new technologies

Watch the whole video to find out which technology areas Jacobs views as holding out the most promise for growth over the next few years.