5G in the Time of Pandemic Webinar Series #5: 5G and Big Tech – Chronicle of a Success Foretold

5G and Big Tech: Chronicle of a Success Foretold

Thursday 3rd December, 16:00 – 17:00 CET

Finally, the last webinar in the series on 5G will focus on the business perspectives and strategies of the so-called Big Tech in the era of next-generation wireless technology. Several commentators predict that 5G will boost dramatically the fortune of these companies, potentially more than it will be the case for carrier networks. One of the sectors where all the big players are heavily investing is Smart Home market, where they are already creating the next big wave of IoT home devices, in some cases pushing themselves toward creating entire home ecosystems. The role of Big Tech in the 5G game could, however, go well beyond being the main profiteers of its potentialities for business development. In May 2020, several companies, among which Facebook and Microsoft, joined a new 5G-focused coalition working to get lawmakers to support virtual 5G technology as an alternative to physical 5G infrastructure.

Chair

Federico Marini Balestra | Bird & Bird

Speakers

Johan Keetelaar | Facebook

Antonio Nicita | Lumsa University

Michal Gal | University of Haifa

Watch the webinar recording

This webinar is the 5th in a series of five webinars discussing the impact of COVID-19 on the future of the 5G, exploring the topic from different perspectives: infrastructural, economic, geopolitical and technological. The online seminars are organised by the Florence School of Regulation – Communications and Media (FSR C&M) of the European University Institute (EUI), in the context of the project “Innovation and Intellectual Property in the Digital Age”.