As part of a digital infrastructure strategy, and as an enabler of other emerging technologies – such as the internet of things (IoT), extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing – 5G has an important role to play. A PwC study of the economic impact of 5G-enabled use cases across industries forecasts these technologies will contribute $350 billion to global GDP1 by 2025, rising to $1.3 trillion by 2030. There is a lot at stake and there is a strong case that action should begin with those sectors that are essential for societies to cope during the pandemic.

This paper explores three ways for 5G to accelerate the digital transformation of these types of essential services and workplace activities in the near term.