Cisco strategy manager says combining 5G with established tech can help companies get ahead

• Businesses should enhance 5G with complementary tech, like WiFi, and other infrastructure.
• The full value of 5G may lie in its integration with established tech, not just speed and bandwidth.
• This article is part of “5G and Connectivity Playbook,” a series exploring one of our time’s most important tech innovations.

Businesses typically adopt 5G for its speed, expanded bandwidth, and reliability. But to get the most value out of it, organizations should focus on how it interacts with the complementary technologies surrounding it, Dan Crawford, a strategy manager at Cisco, said.

“It’s time to rethink our definition of connectivity,” Crawford said. “Rather than viewing it merely through the lens of speed and bandwidth, let’s start considering connectivity as a holistic experience.”

He said companies should focus on enhancing 5G’s capabilities with other technologies, such as WiFi, and combine them with hardware and other infrastructure rather than relying solely on 5G to solve every business problem. “This approach makes the network more accessible for innovative applications to shape user experiences,” he added.

Crawford told Business Insider that this could be complex for some businesses. They often need to decide whether the cost and time needed to upgrade infrastructure and equipment to make it 5G-compatible is worth it.

BI spoke with Crawford about these challenges, the types of complementary technologies that can help companies boost connectivity, and how they could unlock 5G’s full potential.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

What types of complementary technologies should companies focus on to enhance 5G’s capabilities?

WiFi is the most universal technology. We have computers, laptops, and other devices connected to WiFi, or if you’re not relying on WiFi, they use some protocol that’s cellularly connected. All these things will need to work together, but the one common factor is their touchpoints to the network.

There’s an entire ecosystem of devices and tool sets and general employee knowledge that is necessary to be built up to support something that is centered on a single technology like 5G.

While the complexity of 5G might seem daunting for companies, especially with the added challenges of existing technologies, we have a responsibility to simplify connectivity for service providers, enterprises, and, ultimately, the end users.

We’re also trying to remove siloes that have existed. A mobile network has always been siloed from the physical broadband network. There are reasons behind it, but now, how do we integrate them to be sure the experience is seamless and flawless?

How does breaking down siloes and focusing on complementary technology benefit businesses?

If we can shift our mindset, 5G could very well usher in a new age focused on multiaccess user experiences. There is a likely future where consumers will never need to know whether they are connected to WiFi, 4G, 5G, 6G, or whatever next-generation connectivity technology comes next. If experience expectations are being fulfilled, how users are connected won’t matter.

The network elements for 5G are designed to distribute roles to empower companies with control, access, and insight. It gives a business the tools to operate similarly to how it is today without feeling like they’re handing off the communicative arm of its IT to an entity. If the power goes out or the networks go down, how much will it impact your business? No business wants to forecast that risk in their planning.

With 5G, that control can be migrated into the business instead of businesses having to hire experts to understand what mobile networks look like and negotiate the handoffs between a public network and a private network. It simplifies all of that.

It’s a simplification tool that extends and expands the reach of what a business can do today across the globe.

What advice do you have for companies to derive the most value out of 5G?

The first thing is understanding your use cases and having a good grasp of your existing technology stack. Looking at the big picture is important for understanding your needs today but also making sure that tomorrow isn’t forgotten. It’s very important that your ecosystem is front and center in your decision-making process.

The goal should be simplifying and expanding what you’re already capable of. It’s a democratization of connectivity and access.

Investing in 5G isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a long-term decision — an ongoing commitment to innovation, development, and opportunity. It’s important that you’re not buying technology for technology’s sake. Be comfortable not knowing everything and trusting your partners.