How 5G wireless (and concomitant technologies) will revolutionize healthcare?

The need to have equitable access to quality healthcare is enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which defines the developmental agenda of the UN for the next 15 years. In particular, the third SDG focuses on the need to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. In this paper, we build the case that 5G wireless technology, along with concomitant emerging technologies (such as IoT, big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning), will transform global healthcare systems in the near future. Our optimism around 5G-enabled healthcare stems from a confluence of significant technical pushes that are already at play: apart from the availability of high-throughput low-latency wireless connectivity, other significant factors include the democratization of computing through cloud computing; the democratization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cognitive computing (e.g., IBM Watson); and the commoditization of data through crowdsourcing and digital exhaust. These technologies together can finally crack a dysfunctional healthcare system that has largely been impervious to technological innovations. We highlight the persistent deficiencies of the current healthcare system and then demonstrate how the 5G-enabled healthcare revolution can fix these deficiencies. We also highlight open technical research challenges, and potential pitfalls, that may hinder the development of such a 5G-enabled health revolution

The Evolution of 5G: Delineating the Impact and Limitations across Transportation, Education, Healthcare, Agriculture, and Manufacturing

A world previously only thought possible in science fiction is about to become a reality. A world where doctors can operate on patients thousands of miles away. A world where students can experience ancient cities and distant galalike they are physically there. A world of fully self-driving cars. A world where every step of the supply chain is automated. A world where factories have a handful of employees overseeing robots handling the entire manufacturing process. A world of fully autonomous farms, where one farmer can manage an entire farm from seed to harvest from their smartphone. The development, implementation, and adoption of 5G cellular networks will make this world a possibility. 5G is the fifth generation of cellular networks. It is the successor of the current fourth generation (4G) networks. 5G technology is characterized by ultra-low latency, massive data rates, near perfect reliability, extreme density of connection, and wide coverage areas. 5G is not just another “G”, it has the potential to completely disrupt the way we work and live (Binney, 2020). 5G networks will impact the world in an almost infinite number of ways. Business models will change, the way people work will change, the way students learn will change, the way patients get health care will change, the way people get their food will change, the way people drive will change. In this thesis, I examine the development, applications, benefits, and socioeconomic impacts of 5G technology, as well as current limitations facing the industry and ways to address them