5G: a revolution for the hotel industry.

When 4G technology hit the market, the impact on traveller’s lives was of an unprecedented magnitude. Suddenly, printing maps of the place you intended to visit was no longer necessary; boarding passes became obsolete overnight and operations that required hours of effort became a thing of the past because now you had everything at your fingertips (literally) with your smartphone.

It is time for a new paradigm shift.

We are increasingly more and more familiar with concepts like smart cars, the Internet of things, and artificial intelligence…but all of these would not be possible without an element that serves as glue: connectivity. However, connectivity must be reliable, fast, and highly available as otherwise it is of no use.

5G to the rescue.

The fourth generation of mobile connectivity technology (4G) began to expand in 2000, making it possible for our devices to surf at speeds 500 times faster than their predecessor (3G). Today, 4G technology is a worldwide standard.

If we have to address the new changes our lives are experiencing with the Internet of things, this technology is not enough. By 2023, more than 20 trillion (with t) devices are expected to be connected to the network, according to Cisco, requiring a connection capability that 4G technology will struggle to provide.

This is where 5G technology takes over by creating a stir as pilot tests are taking place right now in major cities worldwide, including cities in Spain.

Put simply, 5G is proving to be more reliable, faster (about 100 times more than 4G) and smarter than its predecessor.

Differences between 4G and 5G.

The lower latency of 5G is a key factor when comparing these two technologies. Obviously, speed is what less demanding users will value the most, but we must focus on the response speed 5G technology gets. With a latency of less than 10 milliseconds, doors are opened to fields of development that previously could not consider applications in people’s day-to-day life, especially for safety reasons (imagine a smart car that takes time to receive the information when there is a route change, one or two seconds…). With those response speeds, now it is possible.

All that glitters is not gold, though

There are several factors we must analyse before we decide to change our infrastructures.

1. It is a technology in the testing phase; significant progress in people’s lives is not expected until 2022.
2. It currently is an expensive technology that depends on leading market players such as Internet service providers (ISPs), manufacturers, and the government for its implementation in major cities.
3. There are few devices nowadays that support this technology.
4. Nothing is yet known about the data plans and the rates that the ISPs will determine.
5. The low-frequency signal used by 5G technology is very weak and is significantly interrupted if there are obstacles between the antenna and the device, unlike the 4G or WiFi signal, which are stronger.

What does this technology mean for the hotel industry?

Well, the change is significant. First, and more importantly, much more speed for our customers. That is, for example, that they can use video streaming platforms seamlessly, at 4K qualities, or play network video games as if they were in their own home, with latencies, as we have seen, almost unbeatable to this day.

But this is a technology that allows much more, even digitising processes that until now were complicated. It opens a wide range of possibilities in the Internet of things and real-time information world: online check-in, smart door opening, lights, all kinds of devices connected and at the service of your customers at unthinkable speeds until now.

Hotels can now access a technology that can provide them with an unprecedented amount of customer data. Knowing who they are and how they behave will allow them to address them and help them in a more specific way.

Having a consolidated, well-segmented database and modern loyalty tools will allow you to personalise the user experience further.

In short, the applications are many and very varied.

To publicise all these possibilities that 5G enables in a hotel, we have produced a study to explain the keys to understanding this new technological revolution.

It also responds to all wifi-related questions posed by 5G , includes recommendations to face the challenges it presents to current networks and proposes examples of systems with 5G technology in different accommodation structures. This document aims to clarify many of the questions posed by the operation, access, impact, investment and applications of 5G within the sector.

At Hotelinking, we are constantly working with our customers to improve their connectivity. Our R&D department is already working on 5G technology implementation plans for hotels. If you want to know more, do not hesitate to contact us.