Sponsored The dominant topic at MWC19 in Barcelona next week will be 5G. It’s on everyone’s lips — from network operators to policymakers — and even the US President has weighed in, suggesting ambitions that extend beyond current deployments. But what practical developments can we expect to see at the show, and how will 5G affect different industries and technologies?
Nokia’s 5G Maturity Index, published in the run-up to MWC19, shows most operators expecting a limited commercial launch of 5G services between 2019 and 2020. That timeline differs from some other industry perspectives: for example, the GSMA recently reported that low-power mobile IoT networks are already available through leading operators worldwide. These contrasting viewpoints illustrate that different parts of the mobile ecosystem are maturing at different speeds.
The Nokia study, prepared with Analysys Mason, nevertheless finds strong ambition among operators. Those preparing early commercial 5G rollouts are concentrating efforts on network virtualisation and cloud-based architectures. Such approaches aim to make networks more flexible, scalable and capable of hosting new, differentiated services.
More than 70% of operators surveyed say they are focusing on 5G to enhance existing consumer services. “We essentially asked 50 operators: ‘how ready is your network and business for 5G?’ Their answers provide valuable insights into the best practices for operators as they design, deploy and operate 5G networks and services,” said Sanjay Goel, president of global services at Nokia. He added that Nokia is working with major operators in leading 5G markets such as North America, Korea and Japan, and offers an end-to-end portfolio on a global basis.
Goel noted that the 5G Maturity Index provides useful data operators can use as they plan and implement 5G strategies. That guidance is timely as the industry navigates the technical, operational and business-model shifts that 5G brings.
At MWC19, many conference sessions will address 5G from multiple angles — its enterprise impact, the risk of widening digital divides, and vendor product launches. Exhibitors will showcase a range of new offerings and practical use cases, reinforcing how 5G is evolving from concept to commercial reality.
Beyond consumer services, there’s growing interest in how 5G will enable and accelerate other technologies. One session asks whether 5G will act as the infrastructure for an AI revolution, and recent commentary from industry analysts supports that idea. Dimitris Mavrakis, research director at ABI Research, argued in a blog post that 5G could actually give more to AI than AI gives to 5G.
Mavrakis explained that 5G will introduce distributed intelligence throughout cellular networks, creating a platform for advanced AI capabilities such as federated and personalized learning. By bringing compute and intelligence closer to users at the network edge, 5G enables new enterprise vertical services that use edge-based AI for model inference — and potentially even for parts of model training.
The advantages of this approach are clear: improved privacy and security through local processing, reduced latency for time-sensitive applications, and distributed compute that can offload central infrastructure. These outcomes align with a longstanding industry goal — dating back to the early days of 3G — for mobile service providers to evolve beyond pure connectivity and deliver higher-value services.
During the conference, expect a focus not only on 5G itself but on how it converges with complementary technologies such as cloud, edge computing, IoT and AI. The combined effect of these technologies will shape how operators and enterprises capture opportunities in a rapidly changing digital economy.
For additional background, the original MWC blog post discusses 5G and AI in more detail, and the MWC19 program outlines sessions and exhibits related to 5G developments. This coverage highlights why industry attention is so firmly fixed on the coming wave of next-generation connectivity.
Editor’s note: This article is presented in partnership with MWC19.