Preparing for the arrival of 5G

Attendees at a recent Cellcom event sample a virtual reality shopping trip powered by 5G.

With the cold winter getting closer, more people will start opting to shop online and soon they will be able to experience the in-store atmosphere in their pajamas thanks to arrival of 5G. Cellcom, in partnership with Ericsson, are seeking to make the transition a reality.

Cellcom held an event at T2 Accelerator in Green Bay on Oct. 12 where they unveiled a live demo for business, education and community leaders and local and state officials to explore the possibilities 5G will bring to the region. 5G is the fastest available cellular network and will allow autonomous cars, remote surgery, improved traffic and security and more in the region.

During the event, Ericsson offered a live demo with different stations where people could see firsthand what 5G can do, including a virtual reality shopping experience and controlling a robot.

Cellcom is working to obtain more FCC licensures to operate more 5G features in the region while its engineers have added more high fiber capacity connections to their cell sites creating a backbone for the 5G connection.

During the event, Ericsson offered a live demo with different stations where people could see firsthand what 5G can do, including a virtual reality shopping experience and controlling a robot.

“I spent about 15 minutes with the virtual reality shopping experience and it was just so cool,” says Cellcom CEO Mark Naze. “The user can look around and look at items, pick them up in their hands, try items on, even feel what the item looks like because of how fast this 5G connection is. I turned around and there was a chair behind me. It looked so real I almost sat down.”

Naze says 5G is just in the beginning stages of being rolled out in Northeast Wisconsin. Technology will also need to play catch up and start releasing 5G compatible devices to join the networks, which he says could happen as soon as next year.