Soon, the line between online and offline will be blurred. The Internet is spreading beyond computers and smartphones and into daily appliances both at work and at home.

By 2025, the “Internet of Things” (IoT) will require most appliances and devices to be run via an online connection. Also by that time, the projected global spending on IoT will be between $4 and $11 trillion with focuses on manufacturing, health, retail and the smart home. This undeniable trend makes us look carefully at companies’ missions. At The Vantage Group, entrepreneurs who make way for the future of technology are the ones who get our attention.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) will overhaul the customer’s experience in applications such as gaming and retail. Cars will be built with AR and VR to facilitate communication between pedestrians, infrastructures and other vehicles. Industrial facilities will require more reliable and secure online networks. Healthcare will require live high-definition surgery videos that doctors can monitor remotely. Communication service providers will soon be completely wireless. Connected devices such as Alexa, Siri, smart thermostats and refrigerators, etc. are on the rise.

What does this mean for the Internet? The requirement for the web’s high performance ultimately slows it down. 3G and 4G are becoming obsolete in meeting digital demands. The only way to keep up with the demand for speed in an increasingly connected world is to bring in the newest generation of wireless connection. Enter 5G.

Since its introduction in 2012, 5G has become the leading wireless technology. Its performance qualities include higher data rates, saving of energy, cutting of costs, and massive device capacity. Perhaps most notable about 5G is its speed: 100 times faster than 4G and 10 times faster than the broadband connection we’re used to now.

On an increasingly jammed information highway, 5G provides a crucial new lane. Qualcomm, Intel and others predict an economy reliant on 5G that will generate many trillions of dollars in revenue. That economy is made possible by tiny chips that can handle the complex radio signals, which ultimately deliver 5G networking to businesses and consumers. 5G’s success makes way for advancements like the much-anticipated self-driving cars, and eliminates the need for things like cable modems in homes. More decluttering benefits are still yet to be discovered.

Rajeev Suri of Nokia states, “Unlike 4G and previous generations of technology, 5G is very different. It is not just about radio. In fact, it stands across the full network from mobile access to cloud core, from software-defined networking to all forms of backhaul, fronthaul, IP routing, fixed networks, software and more.”

Worldwide usage of 5G is expected to begin in 2020. The launch will involve radical changes to the architecture of the Internet, but the transition is worthwhile. This type of Internet will guarantee high speed and reliable signals for any “thing” being used, at any location across the globe. Now, from my vantage point, that’s worthy of my attention and something I intend to invest in.  How about you?