More than 300 professionals gathered in Washington, DC at DC5G 2018, November 4-5 at the Capital Hilton, to share developments and perspectives, raise questions, and further the progress of the upcoming 5G rollout. DC5G showcased 35+ speakers who shared their insight and expertise to a diverse audience representing the entire telecommunications supply chain, including key end-users. Wireless service providers, satellite service providers, infrastructure, hardware and device manufacturers, city government, federal policy makers, research and consulting, legal and entertainment representatives engaged in lively conversation with those on stage about the future of 5G.
The theme of the DC5G 2018 keynote presentations was ‘What Can 5G Do Differently?’ The opening keynote from John Godfrey, SVP, Public Policy at Samsung focused on 5G’s immediate impact in the form of applications: benefits to smart cities and citizens; healthcare; and connected transportation. He also laid out Samsung’s infrastructure rollout vision, and outlined opportunities for industry, government, and entrepreneurs to participate and profit in the 5G ecosystem. His presentation was grounded in very real possibilities.
The afternoon keynote from Adam Zuckerman, Director of Ventures and Innovation at Discovery Inc. on the other hand, represented some of the longest views on 5G in the room. Starting with Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality applications requiring dense and broad pipelines of 5G connectivity, Adam launched into a sneak peak of application developments that weaved in and out of robotics, neural implants, and automation. He stressed that these new technologies were not science fiction, but rather real investments, much further along the R&D path than most people realized.
Zuckerman also spoke about a 5G-powered application that he felt would make the most significant impact on business and communication – real-time, audio/visual global translation. He asked the audience to imagine taking a business trip to Tokyo, stepping out of their hotel and hearing everyone on the street speak their native language. Street signs and advertisements would instantly translate like magic before their eyes. This is all thanks to 5G wireless bandwidth being piped to augmented reality eye wear, and eventually, the cartilage in their ear thanks to a neural implant. Zuckerman’s 5G forecast has consumers peeling their eyes off smartphone screens and makes information gathering more natural and automatic.
“The presentation was a significant, yet exhilarating tech-driven culture shock,” said Jeffrey Hill, DC5G Chairman.
Mr. Hill also commented on the presence of municipal leaders both in the audience and on stage. “City government attendees at DC5G learned about how 5G creates valuable public-private partnerships and investment opportunities in building ‘Smart Cities.’ One of our featured speakers, Eugene Grant, mayor of the world’s first recognized small ‘Smart City,’ said it best: A city becomes a smart city when it has access to more information. Using data-driven, predictive analytics, cities can run more efficiently, lower costs, improve services and quality of life for citizens, and most importantly, generate revenue. Part of the DC5G mission is to provide a forum where city officials can meet with the private sector to advance these goals.”
Who attended DC5G in 2018?
C-Level Executives – 29%
Director/VP Level – 40%
Telecommunications – 14%
Infrastructure/Device/Hardware – 14%
Federal Government – 13%
Local Government – 11%
Consulting – 11%
Satellite Operator/Carrier – 10%
Association – 8%
Software – 7%
Legal Services – 4%
Entertainment – 3%
Other – 5%