5G may seem like a long overdue update to 4G signals, but the repercussions for digital media can be significant. To put it simply, 5G uses technology that modifies how data is encoded and reduces latency while sending data. In other words, 5G networks are designed to be significantly faster than 4G.
We will try not to go deep into the technical details, but essentially, the benefit of this technology is that more phones will be able to connect to the same network at the same time. This allows internet connections to be faster even if you’re in a crowded area.
So why should we look forward to 5G and the future of travel? Here are a few talking points that put things into perspective.
Improving Personalization for Guests
Travel companies are facing fierce competition as customer behaviors and desires have changed significantly in the past few years. Personalizing the guest experience helps businesses offer more unique products and services compared to their peers, which can build stronger relationships with their client base.
When combined with technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence, it will become second nature for businesses to deliver real-time personalized recommendations for vacation packages based on the guests’ travel history with the airliners.
With 5G technology, airliners should be able.
High Connectivity at Various Locations
High-Speed connectivity can make or break a guest’s experience during their travels. 5G connectivity can significantly upgrade capabilities for restaurants and airport retailers. It can result in faster POS systems and mobile apps, including self-serve kiosks for payment of food and for ordering.
This is a win-win situation for both guests and employees thanks to convenient payment options, ordering, and overall faster service. Reducing the long wait times for airport shopping can lead to increased customer satisfaction, improved operational efficiency, and employee retention.
Inventory Management
Adopting 5G technology may be vital for the success of airport retailers. It can revolutionize inventory management processes, allowing real-time tracking and faster stocking, thanks to connectivity with IoT devices.
For example, IoT devices can provide real-time updates for tracking and monitoring airport retail stores. This gives employees accurate and up-to-date information about their inventory levels, which minimizes the risk of both overstocking and stock outs.
The low latency provided by 5G networks will play a crucial role here, allowing airport retailers to make better decisions more efficiently.
The use of IoT devices can also lead to faster and more accurate restocking processes, allowing retailers to automate restocking cycles. This can significantly reduce human error and ensure that popular items are always available for clients.
Furthermore, the high-speed connectivity by 5G networks can facilitate quick communication between retailers and suppliers, streamlining the ordering and delivery process.
This resulted in reduced costs as well as improved customer satisfaction to boot.
AI-Based Vehicles
The technology for AI-based vehicles has existed for a while, but it currently lacks the network infrastructure needed to become more easily accessible.
AI-based self-driven cars can play an important role in improving the customer experience. For example, visitors will no longer waste their time trying to navigate through a new city and understanding how public transportation works.
It can also guide visitors to less crowded destinations, which can improve their customer experience.
Improved safety is an integral part of 5G networks. With 5G connectivity, self-driving cars can communicate with one another more effectively, which can reduce the risk of accidents, making driving safer for everyone on the road. 5G networks will result in the creation of an intercontinental system where vehicles can exchange information in real time, allowing them to reduce traffic congestion and potential hazards on the road.
Virtual Reality in Traveling
Virtual reality and augmented reality are set to change the face of the travel industry forever. They can help revolutionize the way we book and experience traveling. For example, passengers can take a virtual tour of a destination before making a booking. They can experience the local culture of a country they’ve never visited before from the comfort of their home or hotel room.
This is the next stage in travel bookings, and it will significantly improve customer experience. Augmented maps will allow travelers to navigate through exotic destinations effortlessly and find areas of interest they may have missed otherwise.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are already providing virtual tours of historical landmarks. For many passengers, they no longer have to physically travel to a destination to experience it gully.
Thanks to the reduced latency and faster connection brought about by 5G networks, AR and VR experiences will become more immersive for all passengers.
How 5G Can Change Airports
Airports and airliner retailers are one of the biggest beneficiaries of this technology. 5G networks can lead to improvements in areas ranging from passenger management to plane maintenance.
It will allow retailers to set up more autonomous devices that assist passengers in finding their gates.
Adopting 5G can also allow airports to roll out AI-assisted computer visions, which could be used to improve passenger flow, find lost items of luggage for owners, and predict capacity issues for hand luggage on flights.
Stronger Security
Security has always been a sticking point in the travel and tourism industry. This is one area where 5G can offer extensive solutions. 5G technology makes it easy to implement high quality security cameras as well as HD video surveillance, which provide streams in real time powered by AI monitoring devices.
Implementing 5G technology can significantly reduce the labor involved in screening guests thanks to automated processes. Biometric devices can use 5G for secure entry without increasing boarding times for customers (by scanning their handprints, fingerprints, and facial markers).
Wrapping Up
The travel industry has much to gain from 5G and the innovations that will come from it. Some of the changes discussed in this article may sound like they’re pulled out of a sci-fi novel (such as self-driving cars), but businesses such as Tesla are already testing them for practical use in the travel industry.
