The development of 5G networks is an essential factor for the evolution of digital services and the overall growth of the global economy in the next decade. 5G is the wireless technology that can support the development of new innovative solutions and additional sources of income. With 5G networks, innovations will be adopted on a large scale in areas such as the industry, advanced services, public administration, and potentially every sector of the economy.
5G and Society
The 4th industrial revolution will change the way we entertain, communicate, and perceive the environment. The next-generation networks are the future of technological advancements in society since 5G is expected to make a significant contribution to the digital transformation of our societies. In many countries, 5G pilots and early 5G deployment are already in place with the cooperation and support of local governments and the state.
5G is the central key to the digital future of any country, and that is why the available investment resources must be directed to 5G infrastructure and development. The aim is that in the coming years, 5G networks will complement and evolve the existing 4G technology so that the society and economy can benefit from the smooth introduction of the new technology.
5G in tourism
Digital transformation and new advanced 5G telecommunication networks will not leave a single part of the economy untouched. 5G will bring new ideas and many new applications. From smart cities and homes to driverless cars, smart agriculture and industrial sector, virtual and augmented reality, 5G aims to revolutionize the physical world that we live in with the interconnection of digital devices and the digitalization of services.
Tourism is one of the sectors that will benefit the most from the innovation potential of 5G technology. Every country seeks ways to enhance its touristic product by supporting advanced services for customers and ensure growth and prosperity for the future. For some countries, tourism is even considered their heavy or core industry.
The speed, quality, reliability of networks, as well as the simultaneous operation and connectivity of hundreds of thousands of devices is expected to skyrocket with 5G. The tourism industry will benefit from making tourism more enjoyable, accessible, and personalized for tourists and travelers. Tourism is expected to enter a new era, with advanced services and capabilities that are currently unavailable or difficult to offer.
5G smart tourism examples
For example, using the new 5G network will improve check-in times at an airport or a hotel. In-room smart services such as lighting or temperature control or virtual assistants with voice commands are already available in some major hotels and are expected to further expand on a massive scale due to 5G development.
In the 5G era, human interaction, smart devices, augmented reality, and virtual reality will all converge. For example, hundreds of millions of visitors per year, from every part of the world, will be able to enjoy remote sightseeing or visiting entire museums from the comfort of their home.
Telecom providers are already planning the next day in mobile communications, deploying 5G pilot networks in various cities. The telecom industry, investing heavily in new generation networks, will be able to support new, innovative 5G solutions and applications in tourism by 2021 at the latest.
5G-enabled tourism experience
With the deployment of the new 5G telecommunications networks, applications based on the Internet of Things (IoT) will allow hotel chains to offer even more innovative and personalized services to their customers. Sensors will be able to monitor and automatically adjust the power, lamps, heating of the room without the need for human intervention. IoT can be used to reduce costs and at the same time improve the customer experience, in an automated manner.
Connectivity and AR/VR will also play an important role. Indicatively, tourists using electronic travel guides and applications will be able to interact with museum exhibits as part of a virtual tour. Customers will also have the opportunity to interact and integrate with the area or attraction they visit, attend personalized events according to their preferences and liking, either virtually or physically.
Furthermore, 5G will also help tourists experience an immediate improvement to the quality of their travel. The new generation of mobile telephony networks will increase accuracy and security at airports, train stations, and ports. More reliable and real-time passenger information will arrive on time, simplifying the journey to the final destination.
From AI to robots
Another way to improve customer service in the tourism industry is the use of chat-bots to quickly respond to some basic customer queries/questions, especially during after-hours or public holidays. A more advanced approach is to combine the latest digital trends like AI, with innovative products in the area of robotics. Examples are Hilton and IBM’s Connie, the world’s first Watson-enabled robot hotel concierge. Amadeus 1A-TA is another example of a humanoid robot developed by Softbank robotics to interact with human beings as a travel retailer.
Since in customer service, personalization ranks among the top traveler requests, hotel businesses are seeking ways to support a more personalized experience for guests. AI and machine learning may be used to make suggestions for selling various products and to predict needs based on customer behavior. In-room technology can also be customized to welcome guests by name, while hotels can offer automated travel suggestions based on the interests and preferences of the users.
Instead of the typical keys and key-cards, personalized identification such as fingerprint scanning, and even eye scans, can be used to improve security, identify, and allow access to specific customers. Furthermore, check-in, check-out times and procedures can be improved rapidly, with facial recognition.
Smartphone travel experience
In modern tourism, as in every part of nowadays society, smartphones will also play a critical role since they are the number one devices to be used by most customers. Mobile apps can be used for hotel business to facilitate room reservations, restaurant reservations, room service, and spa appointments. Furthermore, mobile applications can be combined with IoT technology to allow guests to control room functions, such as control lighting or room temperature using their smartphones. In addition to self-service features, mobile phone integration into hotel services can be used alongside beacon technology to send specialized advertising based on the current physical location.
