Rethinking software development in the age of 5G
As 5G becomes a reality, it’s signaling the dawn of a new age of cellular technology transforming not only the speed, but also the responsiveness of wireless networks. It will enable increased connectivity and flexibility, allowing far more devices to access the mobile internet at the same time. By significantly increasing the available bandwidth, 5G will improve end-to-end performance, delivering a much better user experience.
5G will open up a world of possibilities — from drones acting as the fourth emergency service to allowing autonomous vehicles to communicate with each other and read live map and traffic data. IoT will be transformed from mobile virtual reality to the many touted benefits of smart cities finally coming to fruition.
However, with the rollout of 5G, a new framework for software development is required to cope with the sheer scale and speed of the network. This will necessitate that testing strategies focus on the entire ecosystem rather than a component-driven approach. Companies that have traditionally been competitors will now need to find a way to work together to deliver and maintain the new digital experiences that users expect.
The changing face of testing with 5G: Four factors to include
- Testing the use case, not the code. It needs to work, but the most important question is: Does the experience meet user expectations? With the introduction of the ultra-reliability aspect of 5G, this will become standard.
- Testing energy consumption will now be important. Keeping track of the energy consumption of use cases rather than components will be necessary.
- Testing security. With increased connectivity and speed, security concerns will magnify.
- Testing across companies and ecosystems. Monitor the digital experience on a continuous basis to assure the quality both in pre- and post-production.
For companies that are still burying their heads in the sand and only testing code or component compliance, the advent of 5G will shatter that illusion once and for all. Businesses that want to reap the innovation and monetary rewards from 5G must expand the scope of their testing efforts now or risk being left behind.
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