Four great ways cloud providers can harness the power of 5G

By Sekaran Letchumanan, Vice President – Operations, Flex India

5G will usher in higher bandwidth, broader coverage and lower latency. By the end of 2024, Ericsson projects 5G will reach 1.5 billion subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband.
It also represents a new way to think about data storage, management and access in the cloud. To take full advantage of 5G, cloud providers need to position themselves now for the increased volume of IoT devices, edge computing, micro data centres, small cells and network slicing. 5G will broaden the competitive landscape and force cloud providers to move even faster in introducing new services.
As an industry leader, Flex provides the experience and guidance necessary to design, build and deliver 5G-enabled solutions for cloud and edge computing and data centre management. We offer reference platforms to help jump start data centre development – and we have the supply chain network needed to rapidly deploy in-region.
Here are four other ways cloud providers can take advantage of 5G’s power.

1. Unleash new applications

5G opens doors to new cloud applications. Cloud service providers can personalize their applications with 5G for smart homes, factories, cities or industrial IoT, making the best use of bandwidth, security and latency for each.
5G coincides with the explosion of connected devices and systems associated with IoT in the cloud. The greater volumes of IoT devices will require real-time processing. Overall, 5G promises to improve bandwidth and capacity of cellular broadband by accelerating data transfer speeds from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps.
For example, lightning-fast speeds and low latency mean that sensors on autonomous vehicles can reliably transmit information to surrounding cars and the environment and warn of hazards ahead. In addition to Flex’s design and manufacturing expertise, we’re investing in new wireless technologies and offer comprehensive testing to bring 5G infrastructure and other wireless products to market.

2. Turbo charge your edge

Connected technology will increase the demand for edge computing to ease network traffic. Edge computing moves the cloud’s computing power and storage closer to the source where it’s needed. Moving the cloud’s power to
the edge significantly reduces latency – which autonomous driving, remote health solutions and enhanced AR and VR will require.

3. Don’t get dropped

Small cells play a critical role in a diverse network, providing continuous coverage, capacity and a consistent user experience. Autonomous driving, mobile devices and IoT devices, powered by 5G, will demand such connectivity to the cloud.
Small cell deployments can provide additional capacity and coverage in congested areas such as shopping malls, airports, bus or train stations and office buildings, where traditional macro towers are unable to deliver a reliable 5G service. This greater bandwidth will enable cloud providers to deploy new applications previously limited by reach.

4. Connect to an end-to-end virtual network

5G will redefine the network infrastructure and service delivery through network slicing, offering customized, end-to-end virtual networks tailored to specific uses. This change will disrupt the traditional one-size-fits-all network architecture and allow engineers to design targeted, application-oriented networks on the fly.
Network slicing and customization allow organizations to build networks with various devices and services, including cell phones, IoT sensors, mission critical IoT devices or enterprise applications. Ultimately, network slicing with 5G will provide superior service quality and an enhanced network experience for cloud providers and customers.
Sekaran Letchumanan is the Vice President – Operations at Flex India.
About Flex:
Flex is the Sketch-to-Scale® solutions provider that designs and builds Intelligent Products for a Connected World®. With approximately 200,000 professionals across 30 countries, Flex provides innovative design, engineering, manufacturing, real-time supply chain insight and logistics services to companies of all sizes in various industries and end-markets. For more information, visit flex.com or follow on Twitter @flexintl. Flex – Live Smarter®