Where was 5G at CES?

When it wasn't being overshadowed by covid resurgences, the Consumer Electronics Show has partially functioned as a 5G pep rally. As cars, smart home standards, and so many screens took center stage, 5G took a back seat.

Hans Vestberg gave a very similar keynote speech in both of the next two years, showing off all of the things 5G would enable. Mike Sievert was supposed to give the keynote in 2022, but omicron stopped that. 5G wasn't on the speaker's list in 2023.

What's the reason? It isn't as if all of the promises made with 5G have been fulfilled. I don't remember how I got into a fully self-sufficient vehicle to get to the surgery. We don't have a better version of 4G. The pep rally stopped because of something.

We don't like hearing about it. One year is all it takes for the technology to be left for dead. What is the working out of your home theater? It's absolutely true. There was a time limit on 5G's newsworthiness, at a certain point when it becomes the prevailing wireless technology, it's not going to be "5G the new thing"

The default option is not a new service.

The time has passed where wireless CEOs want to sell 5G to the general public. The default option in the US is not a niche new service. Mid-band 5G is finally available on all major carriers in large parts of the US, and every new phone is 5G compatible. If you buy a new phone or sign up for a new service, you will have a hard time leaving without a 5G device and plan, even if you don't really want them.

Not much has changed since we have 5G phones in our hands. Maybe web pages load quicker. What's going on? It takes a long time to roll out 5G. The hype made it seem like all the good stuff was just around the corner, but it wasn't.

We are only now entering the phase of 5G development where the industry moves beyond mobile broadband improvements (all that talk of blazing-fast wireless data you've been hearing about ad nauseam) and focuses more on laying the groundwork for things like self- driving cars, augmented reality, and All the things we were promised would happen. According to a couple of network executives that I talked to at the end of 2022, moving network functions closer to the end user will be a big role inunlocking new capabilities.

There is a sequence of events when a new wireless network arrives. The network needs to be built. There needs to be enough people with a device. If you really want to take advantage of all of the capabilities, there is also the idea of edge. He says that edge computing, a shorter distance between connected devices and the cloud, is a better way to experience things. Setting that stage is the next phase of 5G.

Once the network capabilities are there, it takes a long time to build a system that will take advantage of them. There is a lot of talk about 5G being able to allow cars to communicate with each other, allow cars and pedestrians to co-habitate in a given environment. It isn't just having one car and one customer on the road that isn't working. Everybody has to be on board.

Yes, you can have a 5G icon on your phone, but the most significant aspects of 5G are still being worked on. It is difficult to sell that message when everyone in the room has access to the technology you are talking about.

The tech wasn't completely out of the picture and we didn't get another big 5G sales pitch at the Consumer Electronics Show. Honda and Sony are working on a prototype that will use 5G to communicate. In order to be ready for both of those technologies to go mainstream, the company is working on headsets with a 5G chip. It just took a back seat this time. I am tired of the sales pitches.

Don't worry if you're nostalgic for the pep rallies. Soon, you will hear about 6G.