Source: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/5g-services-market
In 2021 the global 5G market was estimated to have a value of $48.3 billion, with a forecasted value of $2.2 trillion by 2030 (Grand View Research, 2022).
Asia Pacific is the largest market for 5G network technology worldwide, making up 40% of the total market share in 2021 (Grand View Research, 2022). With the ability to transform almost every industry, many countries and enterprises are investing in 5G technology in order to be at the forefront of this revolution. Mobile operators in the US alone invested $250 billion between 2010 and 2017 to build the infrastructure needed to enable roll out of the 5G network (Grand View Research, 2022).
Key players enabling this market worldwide are AT&T Inc, BT Group plc, China Mobile Ltd., China Telecom Corporation Ltd., Bharti Airtel Ltd., NTT Docomo.
In Canada the three major telecommunication companies, Bell, Rogers and Telus are the driving force in bringing 5G networks to Canadians, with Rogers leading in reach and availability for its customers (Open Signal, 2022).
Source: https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2022/08/canada/mobile-network-experience-5g
The increase in availability and access to internet connectivity has provided educators and students with new ways of learning and research that widen the scope and access to education and educational resources. The latest example of this was during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though in-person learning was required to be shut down, students around the world were able to continue learning because of this connectivity. At least 100 million children maintained their access to education, in comparison to only 1.3 million who would have had this same access just 2 decades earlier (Economist, 2021, p. 20). Although this is an incredible feat of modern technology, it's important to note that COVID-19 forced over 1.6 billion students worldwide out of school, meaning that only 1 in 16 children were able to continue learning (Economist, 2021, p. 20).
This is especially concerning when you factor in the economic and potential personal income impact that a loss of learning has. The chart below illustrates the severe impact on the economy that a loss of learning can have over the next 80 years. For example, in Canada, a one-third year of lost learning (~4 months) equates to an annual decrease of $1.3 trillion in our Gross Domestic Product by the year 2100. This also doesn't just affect the economy as a whole, but also affects each student at a personal level. Research has shown that each additional year of education increases a student's life income by about 7.5-10%. Adversely, each one-third year of learning loss results in a 3% decrease in a person's life income (OECD, 2020, pg 12).
We have all experienced the high prices associated with internet connectivity in Canada, and not surprisingly since Canadians pay some of the highest prices globally. The chart below depicts the prices of various levels of mobile internet, comparing Canada to other developed nations. In the majority of cases, Canada has the highest mobile internet prices, often double what other nations pay for comparable services (Government of Canada, 2022).
With our world becoming increasingly reliant on digital services, and the higher associated costs with building and maintaining a 5G network infrastructure, we need to weigh the pros and cons of investing in this technology. Will it further isolate the ability of rural areas to access online services? Should we be spending billions of tax dollars on building 5G infrastructure when there are rural communities that don't have access to clean water?
Although this is a promising technology that has the ability to revolutionize almost every industry, do you believe that this is a worthwhile investment for education? Over the past few months we've explored a variety of different emerging markets that have great potential within education, how do you feel 5G compares?