How will 5G change the way rural areas and developing economies access high-speed data?

More than one billion homes in the world today lack a fixed internet connection. Rod Hall of Goldman Sachs Research describes how over the next decade, 5G will dramatically change the way underserved communities, like rural areas and developing economies, access high-speed data. “Everybody is talking about 5G as a technology topic, but not a lot of people think about the societal implications of 5G,” Hall says. With wireless technologies like 5G, he explains, telecom carriers can roll out the infrastructure needed to connect a home more easily than with other technologies like fiber. Ultimately, 5G will deliver more bandwidth over a wireless connection, with download speeds 2,500 times faster than existing LTE networks. Goldman Sachs Research estimates that by 2026, the total market opportunity for fixed wireless could hit $75 billion.