BrazilHow Bahrain will benefit from its nationwide 5G coverage
Bahrain completed its nationwide 5G rollout in April, securing access for its entire 1.6 million strong population. A global Booz Allen Hamilton report sheds light into the far-reaching benefits the next generation connectivity will bring to the country’s businesses and people.
Bahrain has become the first country in the Middle East and among the first in the world to secure 5G coverage for its entire population. Two of the Kingdom’s top operators – STC and Batelco – have developed expansive 5G offerings, supported by infrastructure from Huawei and Ericsson respectively. Customers will now benefit from faster, more reliable and higher capacity network connectivity, topped off with myriad economic benefits.
Global management consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton recently published a study on the full impact of the 5G-driven paradigm shift across economy and society. “5G’s rollout and adoption will spur economic activity broadly through the sale, installation, and operation of new networks,” read the study.
“Its adoption will likely drive productivity gains, novel services, and innovations only made possible by 5G’s technological changes. These gains are estimated to add an additional $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion annually to the global GDP.”
Bahrain has modeled its recent economic growth around digital advancement – looking to emerge as a regional and global tech hub. The Kingdom is now prepared for digital-backed economic surge, powered by a highly mature telecom landscape.
Sectors in focus
Per the researchers, three economic segments best exemplify the potential of 5G. One is healthcare. 5G forms the bedrock of connected devices, which include medical tools that can be used to measure and monitor patient vitals in real time.
Physicians could even use connected devices to perform remote surgery – powered by high-resolution digital imagery and real-time speeds. Students and other professionals could use 5G-powered augmented reality to simulate and practice complex procedures.
Next up are warehouses – a key link in the booming ecommerce ecosystem. Three phases make up the warehousing lifecycle: receipt, storage and delivery – all of which are speeding towards automation. Barcode scans and time-stamped entries are used to receive products, while camera-fitted robots can place products in automatically assigned shelves.
Sensors and smart glasses can be used to locate items in a split second – both during storage and at the time of delivery. “These improvements drive down costs, increase customer satisfaction, and enable readiness for rapidly changing market and geopolitical conditions,” noted the report. 5G is a way to ensure capacity for this new technology, and further advances to come.
Third use case on Booz Allen’s list is defence. Sensor-fitted cameras can support perimeter security and monitoring. Augmented reality offers safe and advanced military training, while scanners and sensors enable inventory management and maintenance. Robots can even be used to deliver supplies on battle ground.
And there are applications on the ground too: sensors worn by soldiers can generate data; 5G-enabled robots can perform medical rescues; and AI-powered weaponry can be deployed accurately across long distances.
