The capacity of 5G to drive the digital transformation is revolutionising critical sectors. Especially productive areas, which act as economic drivers, such as industry, automation, logistics and energy, for example. But it’s also shifting the paradigm in other sectors where the development of the 5G network and the efforts of dark fibre operators could completely change the landscape. From retail to socio-healthcare, all the way to education…

The impact of 5G on education in the future

The full development of the 5G network will allow students to have more and better connected devices, alongside a greater capacity to handle considerably larger volumes of data. This, in turn, will open the door to being able to implement virtual reality and augmented reality in classrooms. Furthermore, we’re talking about transfer speeds of up to ten times higher, thanks to 5G, than what we currently enjoy. With minimal latency.

This framework will make the design of focussed teaching and learning dynamics possible, both in terms of systems, as well as the personalised experiences of every student. Adapted to specific assimilation rates, with a unique knowledge internalisation design for everyone. With support for both the IoT and Tactile Internet. And with the ability to make the most of 3D and high-definition video, without classes being compromised by poor or uneven connection qualities.

• The 5G network working for education centres

Students won’t be the sole beneficiaries of the direct intervention of 5G technology in day-to-day teaching processes. Those responsible for running schools will also benefit, as they will be able to design collaborative and knowledge-transfer networks for use across various parts of the education system.

Interconnected multimedia libraries used across different centres; services, resources and knowledge made available to students from different cities and countries; definitive elimination of the barriers imposed by the physical limitations of the classroom…

According to the 5G and education report put together by Jisc — a British company specialising in technological services in the field of education — we would be looking at a “virtual and interactive international environment” that would allow students — and schools at all levels — to face the challenges of learning in a radically different way than what goes on today.

• Personalised teaching and better access to the cloud with 5G

Establishing distinct groups of students, as well as designing and offering different types of content based on the needs of each individual, would require a remarkable effort from the network. Alongside the considerable time frames involved in loading such content. Thanks to 5G technology, the possibility of a fully personalised learning experience is closer now than ever before.

Similarly, we’ll soon be able to see greatly improved interactions with cloud storage platforms and services. This means neither the integrity of education centre systems nor their storage capacities will be compromised. At the same time, in anticipation of a significant increase in data volumes, agile and effective policies for protecting personal information could be implemented.