Imagine one of your engineers on a remote utility site, using smart glasses to see step-by-step repair instructions overlaid directly on the equipment in front of them. Or a shopper walking through your retail store, guided by AR to locate items, compare features, and visualise how products would look in their own home. That's the power of augmented reality (AR), and it's just getting started!
Yet, the potential of AR is being stifled by insufficient network capabilities. That's where 5G comes in. Combine 5G and augmented reality, and you get a powerful pairing, delivering real-time, data-rich experiences that can transform how your business trains staff, serves customers, and manages operations.
In this blog, we'll explore the intersection of 5G and augmented reality, the opportunities this meeting of technologies is creating, and the challenges your business needs to be aware of.
Why 5G is the Missing Link for Augmented Reality
Augmented reality isn't a new idea. On the contrary, it was invented in 1968 at Harvard by computer scientist Ivan Sutherland, who created an AR head-mounted display system. However, until recently, it’s been like a sports car caught in traffic. AR’s massive potential has been hindered by slow, patchy networks that have not been able to provide the speed or responsiveness for it to excel and deliver on its potential.
Network speed is critical when leveraging AR. For AR to deliver on these valuable, real-time experiences, it needs to process and display information instantly. For example, when a field technician requires guidance through a complex repair or a manufacturing engineer overlays machine diagnostics on a production line, even a slight lag in data processing could cause all sorts of issues related to safety, efficiency and quality assurance.
5G delivers ultra-low latency (as low as 1 millisecond, compared to 200 milliseconds for 4G) and significantly faster speeds to support the real-time performance that AR demands.
But 5G goes further than just its speed. It also offers greater data capacity, enabling more detailed 3D visuals, richer content, and smoother interactions without draining local bandwidth. That makes it ideal for busy environments like retail stores, construction sites, or factory floors, where multiple devices and users are constantly in motion.
Where 5G and Augmented Reality Are Already Working Together
By bringing 5G and augmented reality together, we're seeing a whole world of opportunities open up! Below, we take a look at a few examples.
Utilities: Smarter, Safer Field Operations
Provide your technicians with AR headsets or smart glasses, and they'll have real-time, hands-free access to repair manuals, sensor data, and live remote support right in their field of vision. When carrying out repair and maintenance works on utility infrastructure, there is zero room for error. By pairing AR with 5G’s low latency and high bandwidth, these tools work smoothly and trouble-free.
Manufacturing: Real-Time Visibility on the Factory Floor
On your factory production lines, AR can overlay visual instructions, highlight errors, and guide your workers through their assembly tasks. Use 5G to power the data exchange and deliver real-time updates for faster, more accurate operations while reducing the need for physical documentation or on-site supervisors.
Retail: Enhancing Customer Experience
Customers love to try before they buy. 5G-enabled AR apps allow them to do just that, offering applications like virtual fitting rooms or colour matching to help decide on a purchase. AR can also help customers navigate stores with interactive guides and enjoy live product demos or personalised offers. With 5G and AR, your retail business can create these impressive immersive experiences that drive engagement and sales.
Construction: Building with Digital Precision
With AR headsets, your engineers, architects or site managers can view a building's structural plans overlaid directly onto the site they're standing in. Use 5G for connectivity, and even large-scale design files and live data are delivered with minimal lag, enabling more accurate decision-making and fewer costly errors on-site.
Forecourts: A More Engaging Visit
With a similar approach to the mainstream retail industry, you can use AR applications at your forecourts to enhance the customer experience. For example, it can deliver real-time interactive promotions or loyalty features via your customers' smartphones or digital signage. Meanwhile, if you offer repair services, technicians can leverage AR technology to support vehicle diagnostics. With 5G, content management is responsive and reliable, even at busy sites with high device usage.
The Hurdles to Making It Happen
The combination of 5G and augmented reality brings exciting opportunities. However, as with most new tech, adoption isn’t without its challenges.
5G coverage is still expanding, so if you have remote or industrial sites, these may struggle with patchy availability. AR experiences are also data-heavy, requiring robust, high-performance connectivity; something not every legacy network can support.
Then there’s the hardware: AR headsets and 5G-ready devices can be costly, especially when scaling across teams. On top of that, integrating AR into your existing infrastructure may be complex, particularly across multi-site environments. Careful planning and investment are therefore needed to optimise your return on investment.
Finally, security needs to be considered. As AR begins to handle more sensitive data, questions arise about how to secure those interactions, particularly across distributed teams and sites.
But don’t fret! These challenges aren’t deal-breakers! However, they do highlight the need for reliable, intelligently managed network solutions. And here's where Hughes can help.
Building the Right Foundation: How Hughes Can Help
Implementing 5G and augmented reality into your business offering promises outstanding benefits, but only if your network is up to the task.
At Hughes, we help businesses create a strong foundation, preparing for what's next with resilient, scalable, and secure managed network solutions that support innovations like AR across every site, device, and user. With our vendor-agnostic approach, we bring together the best approaches and tailor them for your business, while our 24/7 monitoring and support ensure everything runs smoothly.
If you want to explore what’s possible with 5G and AR for your organisation, please get in touch with our team to see how we can support your journey.