The amount of data consumed globally increases by 50% each year, and I predict that four years from now our current 50% annual ramp will reach 70% to 80%. Why the jump? Because the rollout of 5Gwill accelerate data consumption exponentially. Organizations continually need wider pipes to accommodate ever-growing data volumes. Base stations and other 5G infrastructure will be rolling out in 2019 and 2020, and as they come online, 5G’s impact will be felt around the world: in urban and rural areas, in burgeoning internet of things ecosystems, on factory floors, and in corporate boardrooms.

Think about 5G’s potential. For the first time, cell phones will perform as if they were connected to wireless fiber optic cables. In the arena of networking, this is a historic event, one many doubted could ever come to pass. This bears out my long-standing argument that millimeter waves—unused bands at the top of the radio spectrum—could work better than any generation of cellular thus far.

Read the full article at The Wall Street Journal