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| IFA Executive Director Jens Heithecker speaks during 2019 IFA Global Press Conference in Andalusia, Saturday. Courtesy of IFA |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
ANDALUSIA, Spain ― 5G is a revolutionizing technology, but Europe and America may remain tepid on its adoption due to government regulation and costly infrastructure, according to IFA Executive Director Jens Heithecker.
Fifth-generation mobile and wireless internet connectivity offers faster speeds (20 times faster than 4G) and more memory storage that provides ultra-low latency for mobile devices.
New technologies integrated with 5G are likely to bring further advancements in smart devices, the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles among many other fields.
"5G will be the new essential technology application for a lot of devices, but the question is speed," Heithecker said during an interview with Korean reporters on the sidelines of the IFA Global Press Conference in Andalusia, Spain, Saturday.
"In Korea, it's a bit easier to integrate new 5G technology because the majority of people live in big cities. But Europe and America will not be able to adopt it that fast due to different government regulations."
He added that infrastructure is much more expensive outside big cities in Europe and the U.S, and thus it is not easy to build 5G networks.
The press event, known as Pre-IFA, took place for four days from April 25 to offer a preview of Europe's largest consumer electronics show, IFA, scheduled for Sept. 6 to 11 in Berlin. At this year's event, more than 300 journalists and industry leaders from over 55 countries were present, according to the IFA.
Regarding the commercialization of 5G services, Heithecker expected it will take longer than expected.
"A small spectrum of users will embrace fast 5G because it's plausible. But for 5G services to become profitable, it'll take time," he said.
"If you go back to 4G or 3G, it took 3 to 5 years to commercialize and find the right business models. So, there is a huge field to conquer."
Earlier, Korea's three mobile carriers ― SK Telecom, KT and LG UPlus ― launched the world's first commercial 5G mobile networks for a select group of customers, April 3, just two hours before U.S. mobile carrier Verizon began its service.
He pointed out that the IFA will be a test field for 5G in Germany, saying there will be 5G applications available at the exhibition area.
"5G, AI, connectivity and co-innovation are the big trends driving innovation for consumer electronics and home appliances this year," he said.
Heithecker commented that although Korea is still one of the leaders regarding telecommunications and home appliances, they need to be aware of the competitive environment.
"Korean companies are still winning ground in many product categories, but they need to watch out for Chinese competitors as they are watching what LG and Samsung are doing," he said.
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