The wireless world is all abuzz over its 5G rollout, with good reason. Its ability to bring wireless on par with broadband paves the way for a wireless future.

We’ve been hearing about 5G for several years now. Like with most technology, we were talking about it on the heels of the 4G rollout, always looking to increase speed and efficiency. Often in technology, the next version or the next level of a specific item is in the early stages of development when the current version is released. We take what we have and we build on it, always looking to improve our capabilities. 5G is no different, but it seems there is a lot more talk about it this time around. So what is it about 5G that has everyone buzzing? What makes it so much better than 4G and why should businesses care?

Let’s start with why 5G is better than 4G. The biggest reason is that 5G provides more robust bandwidth for data connections on wireless devices. This makes wireless devices on par with broadband, which means that providers and users don’t have to worry about speed reductions. It’s also likely that 5G will be available in places where wired high-speed internet isn’t possible. Almost everyone in the world owns a cell phone, and there are still those who use it as their primary internet provider, so bringing everyone up to speed is huge because it helps end the disparity.

But what about security? There are all kinds of red flags waving claiming there are security holes and problems with 5G and that it’s not ready for IoT. The truth is, 5G doesn’t really have any significant risks. Now, the range of 5G isn’t as far, which means there will be more towers. More towers means more access points for potential threat actors, but the likelihood of an individual hacker using this method to gain access to a business is slim. Attacks like that are usually highly targeted and nation state-backed, meaning they are looking for intelligence and it’s not an arbitrary attack.

There’s really no reason a business should not adopt 5G. It’s like saying you don’t want to adopt a  more fuel-efficient car, it just doesn’t make sense. And, like the car, eventually consumers won’t have a choice, it’s going to be the only thing available. Not only because it’s a better product, but providers have no desire to maintain all of the networks they run. Most are already phasing out 3G, if it’s not completely done yet, for this reason. As more consumers and businesses adopt 5G, 4G will be phased out as well. Maintenance on these networks is expensive, so the fewer networks providers have to maintain, the more profitable they are.

As the world moves to 5G for most things, there are a few important things to remember. First, IoT devices still require their own security. It’s not that 5G isn’t ready for IoT, it’s that IoT needs to up its game and manufacturers of IoT products need to start implementing security protocols in these devices. The second thing is that the 5G frequency is shared with the military and NOAA. It’s been established that they have signal priority when needed on those frequencies. Now, it’s unlikely that will have an effect, but if you are doing something that is mission-critical, it’s important to have a backup. Backup networks for those processes should already be established so that business can move forward as normally as possible in the case of a provider outage.

5G has the potential to usher in a truly wireless future. Meaning that household IoT devices will likely use 5G, or there will be a broader adoption of 5G in home and business routers. The frequency will still be subject to jamming, network overloads and other interference experienced by wireless users. Which is another reason to have a backup for mission-critical processes at your business. Wireless signals aren’t infallible, as we all know, so be smart when you do adopt 5G.

As technology advances, so we must follow. It’s an ever-changing world and becoming more connected than ever. Make sure you’re on a solid modernization schedule to keep up and reduce tech debt, make sure security protocols are reviewed and updated with the adoption of new technology, and make sure that you are doing everything possible to give your business the edge it needs to be competitive.