Last week I was invited by Three UK to a launch event on the Southbank to celebrate the launch of their 5G home broadband service in London with the added excitement of a promise the service will be coming soon to a city near you.
A whizzy instalment featuring holographic displays and lasers (watch the short video below) certainly caught the attention of the steady stream of people walking along the Southbank but I wonder how many people who admired the display have really explored what Three UK's 5G home broadband might mean for them?
I live in a village and we've only recently been upgraded to a service which allows us to stream TV and we don't even come near to the speed we are paying for so can only dream of the speed of a service unfettered by wires.
For those of you living in less rural areas smug in the knowledge that your broadband is already super whizzy you might wonder why you would bother upgrading to 5G?
If you use your internet connection to check your emails and maybe do a little online shopping it probably isn't going to make a vast difference to your online life.
But for anyone who games, streams, works from home, uses VoiP (Skype, Messenger video calling, Snapchat video calling and the like) and/or is working towards creating a smart home, 5G could be the answer to all those lagging issues.
Now lagging for most people might only be seconds but it can still mean the difference between a frustrating and satisfying experience whether it causes a less than clear picture on a video call or annoying buffering on your media device.
I find I have to pause for my voice activated home helper to process my question rather than speak to her like an actual person. Every time I forget this and end up frustrated as she only catches the last half of my query and mostly responds like a slightly bewildered nonagenarian. I imagine a better internet speed would mean a more lifelike experience.
The same goes for my lights, kettle, TV and heating which are all voice controlled in my home. I'm a sucker for a smart gadget and dream of a day speaking to the gadgets in my home becomes a seamless operation instead of the slightly clunky, hit and miss experience it is now.
My smart home dreams however seem rather pathetic when you imagine what 5G could do globally. New technology might completely do away with desperately ill people having to travel or hope an expert surgeon can come to them. 5G could allow world class surgeons to operate using robotic arms from across the globe.
Now although I am fascinated by tech I'm no expert and although I know people have spoken about issues with security and the practical issues 5G might face passing through walls I am certain these are wrinkles which will be ironed out along the way.
It's an ever changing world technology wise and I cannot believe that from my childhood when there were three tv channels, no mobile phones and no www we are now on the brink of wireless technology making the world an even smaller and yet more exciting place to live.
Disclaimer: I was invited to a launch event by Three UK and my expenses were paid to enable me to see the 5G house installation. views and opinions remain honest and my own.
A whizzy instalment featuring holographic displays and lasers (watch the short video below) certainly caught the attention of the steady stream of people walking along the Southbank but I wonder how many people who admired the display have really explored what Three UK's 5G home broadband might mean for them?
I live in a village and we've only recently been upgraded to a service which allows us to stream TV and we don't even come near to the speed we are paying for so can only dream of the speed of a service unfettered by wires.
For those of you living in less rural areas smug in the knowledge that your broadband is already super whizzy you might wonder why you would bother upgrading to 5G?
If you use your internet connection to check your emails and maybe do a little online shopping it probably isn't going to make a vast difference to your online life.
But for anyone who games, streams, works from home, uses VoiP (Skype, Messenger video calling, Snapchat video calling and the like) and/or is working towards creating a smart home, 5G could be the answer to all those lagging issues.
Now lagging for most people might only be seconds but it can still mean the difference between a frustrating and satisfying experience whether it causes a less than clear picture on a video call or annoying buffering on your media device.
I find I have to pause for my voice activated home helper to process my question rather than speak to her like an actual person. Every time I forget this and end up frustrated as she only catches the last half of my query and mostly responds like a slightly bewildered nonagenarian. I imagine a better internet speed would mean a more lifelike experience.
The same goes for my lights, kettle, TV and heating which are all voice controlled in my home. I'm a sucker for a smart gadget and dream of a day speaking to the gadgets in my home becomes a seamless operation instead of the slightly clunky, hit and miss experience it is now.
My smart home dreams however seem rather pathetic when you imagine what 5G could do globally. New technology might completely do away with desperately ill people having to travel or hope an expert surgeon can come to them. 5G could allow world class surgeons to operate using robotic arms from across the globe.
Now although I am fascinated by tech I'm no expert and although I know people have spoken about issues with security and the practical issues 5G might face passing through walls I am certain these are wrinkles which will be ironed out along the way.
It's an ever changing world technology wise and I cannot believe that from my childhood when there were three tv channels, no mobile phones and no www we are now on the brink of wireless technology making the world an even smaller and yet more exciting place to live.
Disclaimer: I was invited to a launch event by Three UK and my expenses were paid to enable me to see the 5G house installation. views and opinions remain honest and my own.