DUBAI: Imagine engineers and architects with virtual reality goggles on but instead of playing games, they are actually working on a construction project utilizing 5G technology to realistically mimic actual building sites.
This would have been considered an outlandish idea a few years ago, but the promises of 5G have gained traction globally, led by technology giants such as Ericsson who are pouring millions to develop the network and scale its applications.
Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit in Dubai, Asa Tamsons, who looks at Ericsson’s new technologies team, said the Middle East is in a good position to maximize the full potential of 5G.
“Several countries in this part of the world were first in adopting 5G, before most countries in Europe,” Tamsons noted, adding “countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE have both been pioneers, and will benefit from that early adoption.”
The Swedish tech giant is already offering 5G-powered VR technology in Australia’s construction sector, which Tamsons said could also be explored in that of the region.
“We will continue to partner up with our service providers we’re working with in the region,” she said emphasizing on the role of collaborations in developing concrete applications of 5G in industries.
For the Australia product, Ericsson has teamed up with Microsoft and Telstra to deliver the technology, Tamsons said.
Deploying the service in the Middle East is not far-fetched, she implied, given the region’s governments’ “strategic investments” that could enable high-tech products and services to flourish. Tamsons cited NEOM in Saudi Arabia, and UAE’s active hosting of global tech conferences as examples of the regional government’s efforts to make good use of technology for a sustainable future.
As pioneers in the adoption of 5G, countries in the region have created an ecosystem that was needed to create a market for tech companies, she explained.
To further scale its technology, the Ericsson official highlighted the importance of collaborating with other developers and service providers.
On Monday, Ericsson inked the largest deal in its history to buy cloud communications provider Vonage for $6.2 billion.
US-based Vonage develops Application Programming Interface, which is used to allow different software to communicate with each other.
The move is seen as part of Ericsson’s global strategy to build an enterprise presence, building on its earlier acquisitions, including when it bought communications provider Cradlepoint.
