In an article published in the May issue of the Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, Bill Lawrence and Matthew Barnes provide insight on the importance of 5G mobile broadband technology and what America can anticipate for the future of wireless technology.

The world is moving beyond 4G and into the infancy of mobile broadband’s fifth generation, otherwise known as “5G.” Experts forecast that 5G will revolutionize and fundamentally transform the internet and, consequently, our lives. The technology boasts three primary benefits: Exponentially more rapid data transfer speeds, dramatically reduced lag times and substantially increased connectivity and capacity abilities.

According to Lawrence and Barnes, 5G’s power will propel the Internet of Things (IoT) to technology’s forefront – which in turn will benefit both consumers and businesses in their own unique ways. Additionally, 5G will help unlock the currently unknown potential of “smart cities” and the resulting economic, lifestyle and other benefits to those cities and their citizens.

5G technology is universally predicted to be revolutionary. Less clear are the levels of consistency, reasonableness, and swiftness that state and local governments can add to the 5G infrastructure deployment process in order for citizens to be able to experience optimized 5G service. What is clear, however, is that the federal government appears willing and able to step in and facilitate 5G infrastructure deployment.