5G is revolutionary but will anybody pay for it?

It’s impossible to avoid 5G at Mobile World Congress.There are 5G cars, 5G smartphones and 5G firefighting drones. There are even 5G fish-farming systems and 5G breakfast trays.

But executives gathered in Barcelona for the industry’s annual talkfest admit there are still roadblocks that need to be removed before super-fast 5G wireless networks become a reality for many consumers.

Huawei, one of the world’s largest makers of telecoms equipment, is one big question mark. The Chinese company is a major player in 5G technology, but it’s now locked in a battle with the US government.

The mobile industry is also struggling to explain the benefits of 5G to consumers, and figure out the economics behind the technology.The 5G sales pitch is everywhere at Mobile World Congress: It can be up to 100 times faster than 4G, and huge numbers of devices can connect to the network simultaneously.

That’s not enough for some.“The statistics are amazing, but they don’t tell you where is the money,” said Alex Holt, global chair for media & telecommunications at KPMG.

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