The 4G technology has enjoyed the throne for six years now, delivering a smoother, faster, and reliable technological support. The introduction of 5G technology will bring a paradigm shift to wireless networking. We need to be familiar with the term latency to understand the difference between the effectiveness of 4G and 5G technologies. Latency is the delay between receiving and sending data. 5G fares better than 4G in terms of latency which increases its relevance in various sectors including industrial and education sectors. One of the major evolutions that 5G is expected to bring is seamless coverage in various remote areas. Apart from that, business will also improve, as implementing of 5G technology in the manufacturing sector would not only reduce costs but would also ensure minimum or no wastage. Safety and surveillance is another niche that 5G is focusing on. To be precise, it seems that 5G will bring about a revolution in the field of technology, in turn, in other sectors as well.

Impact of 5G in Education

The education sector, initially, did not acknowledge the importance of technology but after using it consistently for two years, its reliance on technology has increased. One of the major advancements that 5G might bring out is a “Networked Society”. Post-Covid, technology has become an uninterrupted aspect of the education sector as the advantages of implementing technology became prevalent. The concept of “Networked Society” is to enable people to connect with each other, increasing their access to various forms of information and study material. 5G technology has the potential to introduce new aspects in the education sector, broadening the horizon of educational platforms. The efficacy of digital learning will improve with the integration of 5G technology and provide hands-on experience along with providing quality education.

Use of 5G Technological Tools in the Education Sector

Technology has become an inevitable part of the education sector, regardless of having a fair share of cons of implementing it. The following 5G technological tools are expected to have a promising impact on the education sector:

Skillset Communication: Technology-implemented education system focuses on skills and thus requires an easier and faster mode of communication. The 5G network is expected to be almost 100 times faster than the 4G technology we are currently using. Skill development would, thus, become easier with the implementation of 5G.

Flexible Location: Pre-Covid, both teachers and students have been facing constraints in physical locations for various practices and experiential learning. Though 4G technology has helped in reducing the barriers of physical learning, 5G will enhance it with its faster speed.

Focus on Personalized Learning: Personalized form of learning has become one of the most persuasive forms of learning currently. Intelligent personalized systems can be increased with the use of 5G technology and help in decision-making.

Cloud Data: Cloud-based storage has gained popularity in recent times with the use of high speed internet. 5G technology promises to provide higher internet speed, decreasing the delay in accessing data. Moreover, this technology will make it easier to use distributed cloud technology, which will further ensure that immediate response can be gained from the students despite being miles away.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): It has been a long time since VR and AR have been introduced but could not be used to their full potential. 5G technology will mark the beginning of using VR and AR to improve the quality of education. AR will further help in providing the right information to the right audience at the right time.

Prominence of 5G in the Indian Education Sector

India, holding the largest adolescent population in the world, needs to focus on improving the quality of education provided to tomorrow’s youth. 5G has been introduced in the country but to put it to good use, the Government should create awareness and educate people on how to use such technological tools. Furthermore, the tools should be employed in a manner that promotes the importance of skill development, which is a dynamic addition to the pursuing education. As mentioned earlier, 5G has the capability of providing seamless coverage in remote areas. This will help in bridging the gap between education in rural and urban areas. Apart from that, we can also help in providing an engaging experience in learning to our students through VR. Real-time networking that 5G technology is giving us will help students to develop connections and provide opportunities, which will in turn stimulate India’s socio-economic growth.

EdTech, the use of technology in education has also taken the shape of a new industry in India, which with the emergence of 5G is likely to grow. The students of India need to have proper comprehension of theoretical concepts to work efficiently, which can be easily perceived through interactive lessons that AR/VR will provide. Another relevant use of 5G in the Indian education sector is to manifest for a future where educators will be able to trace the impact of their teaching methods on the students and their journeys towards success. This new technology will help educators to identify the methods of teaching which will work for individual students, keeping a pathway for the future educators. It will take some time for India to adopt the 5G technology but the preparation for adopting it should start from today to use it to its maximum potential.