Vodafone Qatar has begun offering the HTC 5G Hub, which enables smooth 4K video streaming, low-latency gaming, and hotspot capability for up to 20 users. It is priced at QAR 2,999.00 (US $81`.50) and is exclusively available at Vodafone Qatar’s flagship retail stores and online shop.
The 5G Hub, made by the Taiwanese company HTC, has a 5-inch HD touchscreen and long-lasting power for travel. In the future, users will be able to stream VR content from the cloud to a Vive Focus headset via the HTC 5G Hub, without the need for a PC or cables. There are also voice command and control features.
The device has a built-in Gigabit ethernet port and a 7,660 mAh battery built in. Businesses can connect up to 20 devices securely on a high-speed encrypted network or configure for a corporate VPN.
Tarifica’s Take
As we have written recently, as 5G is being rolled out, operators and consumers alike are interested in the potential of the high-speed network to do new things, not just to do the old things faster. Applications such as virtual reality (which is still evolving and whose usefulness is still up for question), advanced gaming, and new kinds of IoT systems, depend on 5G to achieve the desired effects. And of course, the increased bandwidth allows many more users simultaneously than before.
With all that in mind, the HTC 5G Hub seems like an excellent choice of device for an operator in a developed, wealthy market such as Qatar to offer its subscribers, consumer or business. In fact, it seems like a potential data gold mine. If as many as 20 users can consumer 5G in the same place at the same time, under a roof that ordinarily would contain only one or a few users, the amount of 5G data consumer per unit time will go up dramatically. For Vodafone, encouraging groups of friends or family to get together and consume huge amounts of 5G data gaming or engaging in data-hungry entertainment activities is an excellent policy. And while businesses are generally far less profligate in their usage habits, at least a 5G Hub will allow multiple employees to be ons 5G at the same time within the workplace, with a degree of convenience that, it seems likely, will stimulate greater usage.