With 5G networks set to roll-out worldwide in 2020, experts predict by 2025 over 1.4 billion devices will run on 5G connectivity. It’s not only a major step forward for mobile connectivity, but it’s also going to change how we build and interact with websites.
Before we can recognize how 5G is going to transform the web design process, we need to understand what it is and what benefit it offers.
What is 5G?
5G is the fifth generation of mobile technology. It promises faster data upload speeds, faster download speeds, more stable connections, and wider coverage overall. When we compared to 4G networks, 5G can deliver speeds 10 to 20 times faster in real-world conditions; meaning users can load web pages and files in a fraction of a second. It’s important to note, 5G isn’t just about fast speeds. One of the biggest benefits of this new technology is dramatically reduced latency. In other words, there’s a minimal time delay between a website sending information to a phone, and that data arriving where it needs to be.
Created to handle the growing volume of data we use on a daily basis, 5G will provide a streamlined and improved user experience for all users – whether you’re watching videos, browsing the internet, streaming music, playing online games and video calling.
How 5G will shape the future of web design
With slow download speeds and connection times set to become a thing of the past, 5G will not only improve the overall browsing experience, but websites can also feature more rich content in the form of videos, audio and resource-intensive functionality.
More Video
5G’s capabilities will see websites taking greater advantage of video. Not just any video, but 4K content. There’s no limit to what you could do with video, from immersive background content to videos on the home page of a site that highlights a product or service.
Improvements for Mobile Browsing
5G should ensure that there doesn’t need to be as much of a gap between the experiences that people get on a desktop and those available on their mobile devices.
Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality
With virtual reality gaining traction in recent years, we can expect to see 3D videos in websites, or apps and event product pages thanks to 5G. Up until now, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality have mostly been used by app developers to deliver more exciting gaming experiences.
However, with 5G on the horizon, there’s nothing to us from creating immersive user experiences on a website too. 5G’s enhanced speed and reduced latency will open the door to unlimited new experiences.
Both Telstra and Optus have started rolling out 5G across Australia and you can check if you have coverage in your area online now.
We’re still a year or two away from this technology becoming mainstream as not all of the users visiting a website will have 5G right away, however, 5G is certainly set to provide an exciting future for website design and development.
