When 5G was launched in Britain five years ago, it was hailed as a revolutionary technology that would transform our lives. Although, on the face of it, the technology didn’t differ in principle from its predecessors – using radio waves to transmit data – the figures representing the bandwidth, latency and upload and download speeds were spectacularly improved. To take just one example, 4G supports 2,000 connections per square kilometre but 5G a million.
All manner of exciting applications were enthusiastically predicted. I particularly liked the automotive ones. Cars would routinely communicate with each other. You’d be able to see through the car or truck ahead, seamlessly connecting to its on-board camera to enjoy a safety-enhancing view of hazards in your path, projected onto your windscreen.
