The 2010 decade marked a dramatic change in innovation and the evolution of progress in several industries. Starting with the adage that the government can only access space but now look at the private space industry today; that AI is just science fiction and now it’s turning science fiction into reality; and finally, from our early stages of 1G to almost seamless data access with 5G today. While each one was on its path, today they are converging as one to bring about positive disruptive change.

Welcome to 2020. As technology leaders, we shouldn’t look at 5G as the only answer to accelerating ICT innovation. 5G is part of the equation. 5G is driving AI by allowing higher bandwidth, lower latency, and increased capacity. 5G is also the latest business case for a new generation of global constellation space satellites to support the growing IoT sector, even with idea of data centers in space. AI is leading the ability to self-diagnose, self-heal and self-orchestrate 5G technologies such as virtualized networks to lower costs. AI also plays a large role in reducing risk to access space through autonomous and reusability management thus bringing down the cost to access space. As access to space improves, space R&D brings innovation for the next generation of wireless communications beyond 5G while working on better materials to improve computing power to drive the next-generation AI.

By combining all three sectors, we as a society can better tackle the challenges in medicine, such as beating cancer; in science, such as reversing climate change; and in technology to build sustainable cities, all which will benefit humanity. It’s all connected.