5G Opportunities & Risks for Mobile App Developers

By Avalon Siegel
June 24, 2021
6 min

The mobile communications industry is set to enter a new era. Users and companies alike have additional options to look forward to as 5G technology develops. Mobile app developers would benefit significantly from knowing more about 5G, which is poised to become one of the world’s most significant and transformational technologies.

The roll-out of the new 5G mobile phone network capabilities will boost existing mobile network performance significantly. Now, phone manufacturers and service providers are preparing to edge out the competition by installing 5G. But what does 5G mean for mobile developers and the billions of people who will be able to benefit from new mobile experiences? Faster mobile internet is unquestionably desirable, but it’s only one of the game-changing advantages.

Let's Compare Current Speed Benchmarks:

3G technology can hit 2 Mbps.
4G technology averages 20 Mbps globally (although Norway and Iceland reach 65Mbps).
5G could run at 10 to 50Gbps – and potentially even higher.
5G has reached 1 terabit per second in a test environment (around 65,000 times faster than 4G).

Advantages & Opportunities

In a nutshell, 5G will offer far greater data speeds, greatly reduced data delays, and a 1,000-fold increase in the number of mobiles it can support within a given geographical area.

This presents several opportunities for mobile app developers, including:

Richer, more immersive user experiences will be possible, e.g. augmented reality, due to the superior speed and data capabilities of 5G.
Integrate with New Technologies Mobile apps will be more efficient with existing technologies (messaging, video chat, etc.) thanks to 5G, and mobile developers will be able to include more sophisticated technology into devices, such as virtual and augmented reality, AI, and blockchain systems. Mobile app developers will be able to give consumers a more immersive experience thanks to 5G networks’ increased speed and reduced latency.
Apps will be able to run and store data “on the cloud.” As the tasks of our smartphones get more complicated, apps that use the cloud for data storage are becoming increasingly important. Users may run applications without having to install them directly to their devices since data is stored in the cloud rather than within the app. This is a significant development since the hardware of a device will no longer influence how an app works.

What are the risks though?

Every new technology creates security issues. 5G is no different. Despite its enormous promise, the technology is far more difficult to protect. This is because 5G enables far more connectivity across multiple devices, including IoT (“Internet of Things”) devices. Also, the greater speed and data-carrying capacity of 5G means that cyberattacks can travel faster and further with greater ease.

There are a few tried-and-true methods for safeguarding your mobile device against attacks. Hackers have discovered new ways to circumvent security safeguards as apps have become an integral part of our daily lives. 5G will alter the threat landscape in a number of ways. Therefore, mobile app developers and other industry professionals – as well as mobile phone owners – will need to exercise even more care going forward.