S6 Episode 3: Living in the moment - the opportunity for 5G Standalone with Nicki Lyons from Vodafone UK

Digitally Curious

In this episode, we look at a report I wrote in partnership with Vodafone UK to examine how 5G Standalone (5G SA) could transform UK over the next 5-7 years.
To talk more about the findings, I spoke with Nicki Lyons, Vodafone UK's Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer.
Some of the predictions in the report include:
We’ll see the end of Video Assisted Referee (VAR) and poor off-side decision-making thanks to smart ball tech, pitch sensors and player wearables enabled by 5G Standalone (5G SA) – meaning more time is devoted to the beautiful game and less time on disputes.
Connected clothing will mean trainers will ‘talk’ to each other and collate style and sustainability-inspired looks from other feet on the street, powering your very own AI-powered style guide – enabling fashionistas to discover styles and express themselves in new ways.
Working with Vodafone, in a new report, leading futurist Andrew Grill predicts how 5G SA could transform the things the UK loves most in the next five-to-seven years – from retail and sports to gaming and entertainment.
The report supports the growing need for 5G SA infrastructure in the UK, as the proposed Vodafone and Three merger paves the way for UK 5G SA leadership with a pledge to invest £11 billion and reach over 99% of the UK population with 5G SA by 2034.
More on Nicki Lyons
Nicki became Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability in October 2021. She’s responsible for external communications, government and regulatory affairs, and sustainable business. Before this, she worked in senior roles at Walgreen Boots Alliance, Unilever, PepsiCo, in UK government and in international development.
Nicki on LinkedIn
Resources mentioned in the show
Ann Patchett Tom Lake book
Vodafone UK Website
Vodafone and Three website
More on the report
Vodafone press release about the report
Download the report

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Your Host is Actionable Futurist® Andrew Grill
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1. S6 Episode 3: Living in the moment - the opportunity for 5G Standalone with Nicki Lyons from Vodafone UK (00:00:00)

2. What is 5G Standalone? (00:01:46)

3. What will 5G SA mean for customers? (00:02:24)

4. Partnering with a Futurist to look at 5G SA (00:02:50)

5. Key findings in the report (00:03:33)

6. What surprised you most about the findings? (00:04:27)

7. Customers want that "WiFi experience" when mobile (00:07:51)

8. Three featured predictions - the rise of connected clothing (00:08:55)

9. 5G Impact on Sports and Networks (00:09:57)

10. Bringing the game to every fan everywhere (00:09:57)

11. The end of VAR as we know it (00:11:12)

12. The need for a national 5G SA network in the UK (00:12:50)

13. Quickfire round (00:16:33)

14. Find out more about the report (00:18:14)