5G may seem like a way off, but it is amazing to think how far digital infrastructure has come in just a few years. Whereas 3G brought us the mobile internet and 4G refined it and made it faster, 5G heralds a faster, more intelligent connected world.

Even a decade ago, it was hard to imagine that we would shortly be carrying out our daily lives via a phone screen. The 5G network will exist to connect things in addition to people – things that are sensing and intelligent, from self-driving cars to drone-delivered groceries. The 5G era is expected to change the game for a number of industries, which means it is vital to invest in emerging capabilities to get a competitive advantage when it comes to digital transformation.

How can Britain ready itself for 5G and the opportunities it will bring? Firstly, sites must modernise and incorporate modern 5G antennas, with upgrades as required. The government and private businesses must fund cloudification to support migration to 5G, and significant network upgrades must take place. Carriers must become more intelligent and automated to sustain complex network operations, and site architecture must become ‘cloudified’ to enable synergies to emerge between networks and the cloud.

Businesses must keep their eyes and ears open and look for opportunities to be ready for new opportunities that emerge, investing in robust system networks, cybersecurity technologies, cloud computing services and software that readies them for the 5G future. Many will work with specialist IT and digital agencies to access the vital skills that enable them to make intelligent decisions about their IT development and investment. Smaller businesses can look at off-the-shelf products and licensed arrangements that are cost-effective, upskilling by keeping up to date with industry changes through social content, thought leadership pieces, conferences, networking and the like to stay ahead of the curve.

Only one thing is for certain. The pace of change towards digital ubiquity is accelerating at a rate we could only imagine just a short few years ago. The degree of digital integration in our lives is hard to fully anticipate, but businesses that can be open-minded, willing to invest and prepared to act at the right time will have far better opportunities of success.

Investing for the future

Businesses that are ready to invest in their future may lack the reserves needed to do so without risking their liquidity, which is where Century Business Finance comes in. We offer ready business loans of £25k to £500k for unsecured lending and from £20k to £1m for secured lending.

Our business loans are available for all purposes, whether you need to migrate to a VPN system, invest in new hardware, upgrade your website, or train your staff in the latest digital technologies. Our interest rates start from just 4.8 per cent and our loan repayment terms are flexible from six months to five years according to your needs.

Apply online in just a few minutes for an instant lending decision and contact our team if you have any queries. We are open for business and actively lending; what’s more, we extend loans to nine out ten 10 business applicants, making us an industry leader in ready business loans.