5G & ELECTRONIC METALS: Apple enters 5G market; demand boost for electronic metals likely

Before the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 was expected to be an important year for the rollout of 5G telecommunications networks, with more operator launches globally and declining prices for smartphones and other 5G-enabled devices.

While the rollout has been disrupted in the short term, the increase in remote working that has resulted from lockdown measures has underscored the need for greater bandwidth capacity, along with fast and reliable networks, because there has been an exponential rise in data traffic, market sources have told Fastmarkets.
The advantages of 5G are clear, since this next generation of network equipment will be able to stream data about 100 times faster than the earlier 4G networks.
The pandemic has also highlighted the benefits of a wide range of health-related applications, which include remote monitoring, home care and even robotic surgery. At the same time, delivery drones and logistics networks can also exploit 5G services in times of social distancing.
Here, Fastmarkets summarizes key developments related to the 5G rollout, as well as their effects on the electronic metals markets.
Read our previous report here.

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