2021: The Year We Really Unlock the Power of 5G

I’ve been pounding the table about 5G since last year.

The technology is needed to catapult a number of technologies into their next phase.

The Coronavirus was a weird factor when it comes to the development that I expected to see in 5G over this year.

On one hand, it reinforced the need for faster and more reliable connectivity. Whether its for making sure students everywhere are connected, or increasing automation so businesses can run while social distancing, the connection needs to be there.

On the other hand, the Coronavirus shutdowns did cause delays in some technology.

I’ve mentioned before that this year marked the first iPhone delay in history. Once Apple finally announced the new 5G capable iPhone, then we saw carriers step up and announce expansion as well.

What came first the chicken or the egg?

We see that so clearly with 5G development so far.

As much as many of us expected the network to come first, it seems that they wanted to piggyback on the excitement of the new iPhone as it quickly became the world’s best-selling 5G phone.

That’s not counting any iPhones that Santa might be placing under the tree later this week. Plus, Apple has already been leaking rumors of the iPhone 13 5G phone to come out next year.

The word of the street is that this phone will have an Apple-made 5G modem. Without getting into all the intricacies, what we need to realize is that Apple is pushing the 5G hype now, so the carriers need to keep up.

Yes, this will mean that you’ll be able to video call your mother more than you probably want to. But, as the networks solidify, we will finally see all the robotics and automation that’s been being promised over the past ten years.

Companies such as Qualcomm, Ericsson and T-Mobile are in the middle of investigating how 5G connections might be used to pilot remote control cars and drones. The trick here is that pilots need to feel like they are actually sitting inside the drones that they are steering.

The pilot has to be able to accurately see what is happening, react and then the drone has to be able to receive that reactions. That’s why the latency improvement of 5G is so important.

Remember that speed is how fast data moves and latency is how long it takes requested data to appear. So, the drone needs to send its video to the VR goggles being worn by the pilot and then the pilot’s reactions need to be sent back to the drone.

A latency of 50 milliseconds would mean the difference of almost 6 feet for a drone flying at 80mph. Can you imagine a delay of 6 feet while you’re driving down the highway?

The real goal is latency of less than 5 milliseconds. And we’re finally seeing some of the big names working on testing the feasibility of this. Just earlier this month T-Mobile and The Drone Racing League announced a partnership to advance 5G-powered drone technology.

So, what should you do?

Make sure you have 5G exposure in your portfolio. It could be one of the big carriers. I’ve talked about the potential of Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) in past issues of Emerging Profits Daily.

I’ve also mentioned the Defiance Next Gen Connectivity ETF (NYSE: FIVG). This ETF gives you exposure to Qualcomm, Ericson, Nokia as well as a handful of semiconductors and carriers.

Full disclosure, I don’t think any of these will be your next triple bagger. But you do want to make sure you’re collecting gains from this trend. The triple gain plays from 5G are just around the corner. And you can bet I’m keeping my eye on this developing technology.

Readers of my Wealthy Tech Investor newsletter will be the first to know when it’s time to pull the trigger.

If you haven’t yet, click here to see my #1 5G play right now.

To your prosperity and health,

Joshua M. Belanger
Executive Publisher & Founder