A 5G event aims next month to give businesses an insight into how the technology can be potentially transformative for different sectors.

The Scotland 5G Centre is hosting the Transforming Your Business With 5G event at the Technology & Innovation Centre at Strathclyde University on April 17.

Over a hundred organisations are expected to attend and will get an opportunity to engage with the centre and hear from industry leaders including Vodafone, The Data Lab, BE-ST and CENSIS.

Attendees will hear about the Scotland 5G Centre’s free range of support services and how they can access the state-of-the-art 5G testbeds in rural and urban areas across the country within the centre’s innovation hubs.

Ian Sharp, head of strategy & delivery, the Scotland 5G Centre said: “The event is designed to inspire organisations throughout Scotland and learn first-hand about the enormous impact that 5G technology is having on everyday business operations including increasing efficiency, reducing costs, improving and future-proofing systems, operations, and products.

“For Scottish businesses looking to gain a competitive advantage and overcome difficult economic challenges, 5G technology provides an exciting pathway to success.” 

Rolf Meakin, global communications consulting leader, PwC United Kingdom, recently urged government to put 5G front and centre of a new industrial strategy.

He said: “All five of the major industry sectors where we quantified 5G’s economic impact – health and social care, utilities, consumer markets, media, and financial services – will see major GDP gains from using 5G, with health and social care leading the way with an added £15 billion by 2030.

“I think 5G must become a cornerstone of our national industrial strategy. And to drive the benefits into the regions, the government should intervene actively to create clusters of innovation: local hubs where the growth industries of the future will come together to capitalise on 5G’s speed and low latency, and the power of technologies like AI, VR/AR, robotics and edge computing.

“The coming dialogue between policymakers and Big Tech about how, having done well during the pandemic, they could/should contribute to the economic recovery, would be an opportunity to kick-start such clusters. But a myriad of innovative start-ups and early stage companies also have a vital role to play.”