5G-enabled technologies will deliver significant improvements across society – including saving the NHS almost £1billion per year, according to new economic modelling.
The continued roll-out of 5G within the NHS will result in higher quality remote check-ups and patient monitoring, reducing the need for GP and hospital visits.
Energy and railways were identified as other key areas that will benefit from the roll-out, according to the modelling from economists at WPI Economics, commissioned by Vodafone UK.
For rail, installing 5G-enabled sensors, which detect problems on the lines and trains, would reduce delays and cancellations – saving passengers more than 25 million hours over five years.
The time saved for passengers is worth £326 million in productivity and wellbeing benefits.
And 5G-powered smart city lights, which detect movement to turn on or dim street lighting, could save local councils £700 million over the next five years.
They could also reduce emissions by one million tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of replacing 250,000 petrol or diesel cars with electric.
It comes after a survey of 2,000 UK adults, also commissioned by Vodafone UK, found 53 per cent already believe 5G has the potential to improve their day-to-day lives.
Healthcare (31 per cent), utilities like energy and water (21 per cent), and railways (20 per cent) were identified as the key sectors people think will benefit the most – and these are also the areas people feel they have been most frustrated with in the last 12 months.
A Vodafone spokesman said: “Our research shows half of the population think that technology could make their lives easier.
“For the other half, it’s up to us to bring to life the difference technologies like 5G Ultra can make to everyday life – the streets we walk down, the trains we travel on, and how we look after one another.
“Our proposed combination with Three UK will give us the scale to accelerate investment in the UK’s digital future.”
The research also found people believe 5G can improve their day-to-day life more than AI or other innovative technologies, like drones.
However, some still haven’t made their mind up, with 41 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, reluctant to adopt new 5G technologies themselves – citing reasons such as being happy as they are, and thinking things won’t improve.
And while 73 per cent of 18-34-year-olds feel 5G has the potential to improve their day-to-day life, this drops to just 31 per cent of 55-to-64-year-olds.
Overall, a better 5G network could deliver up to £5bn per year in UK economic benefit by 2030, according to calculations by Vodafone UK.
