Now That The Philippines is 5G-Capable, What’s Next?

Looking back at the past decade, it can be difficult to fathom just how much the Internet has changed our lives. In fact, you could turn the clock back five years and already it would feel like an eternity ago: Smartphone screens were so much smaller. Facebook had only just begun to resemble what it is today. Instagram still had that old brown logo, and “influencer” was still a pejorative word. There was no TikTok to dance for; only Vine, which was already on its way out by then.

The Internet’s role in our everyday lives was drastically different, too. Eight years ago, in 2012—the time commercial LTE became widely available here in the Philippines—Filipinos were only just beginning to embrace the online tools that we now use every day for work, and for simple things like ordering food, paying bills, and managing finances. Streaming services were not yet the cultural giants they are now. So much has changed, and it’s all because of the Internet and how we use it.

So one can only imagine what lies ahead. Every time the Internet evolved, our entire lives evolved with it. What happens when the next phase of the Internet’s evolution arrives?

Well, one could also say that it already has, and so a new acceleration is already under way. Eleven cities in Metro Manila are now 5G-capable, and that figure is expected to rise in the coming years. We’re getting more 5G-capable smartphones, too. What else about our lives might change once large swaths of the country has even better access to the Internet?

That’s exactly the question posed by Globe Telecom in its On The Radar series, which peers into the 5G-connected future of the Philippines. Through a YouTube video series and a podcast on Spotify, Globe hopes to engage you in a discussion about what Filipino life will look like in the next few years with 5G.

In its YouTube channel, Globe On The Radar features Mikael Daez and Janina Vela discussing everything 5G: what it is, how it works, and what we can do with it. There’s talk of self-driving cars, drone deliveries, advanced cloud computing, and stuff right out of a sci-fi movie. They even talk about telemedicine—which is essentially 5G changing the way doctors treat patients. They’re essentially exploring the outer ranges of what the Internet can do, while also telling us that those ranges aren’t really so far out anymore. Here's the first episode:

Apart from the YouTube Series, On The Radar also has a podcast hosted by Filipino tech CEO Roland Ros, who made the social app Kumu. In this podcast, Ros talks about three key fields that stand to benefit immensely from higher 5G penetration: entertainment, business, and urban design. He’ll talk futurism with broadcast journalist TJ Manotoc, as well as Minette Navarrete of the venture capital firm Kickstart Ventures, and Taras Wankewycz of the Singaporean drone services provider H3 Dynamics. Listen here:

If you consider the advances we’ve made in the past few years thanks to Internet technology, and factor in the imminent rise of 5G in the Philippines, the only conclusion is that we’re about to go even further, faster. The world’s about to change again, so you’d do well to strap yourself in and prepare for a 5G future.

Visit Globe’s official website to learn more about 5G.