Smart devices. By reducing the need for local (on-device) computing power, 5G’s low latency, combined with edge computing, will enable a new generation of smart wearables, such as smart glasses, digital “hearables,” and more capable smartwatches, that consumers and retail employees alike will use. Autonomous and remote-controlled devices.

Better integration with wearables, condition-specific devices, and electronic health records (EHRs) will help disease management apps prosper. Providers and patients want mHealth apps to be convenient and to synchronize easily with other technology.

Wearables will also benefit from metaverse investments. As companies look for ways to blur the physical and virtual worlds, they’ll need better biometric sensors and feedback to measure things like eye and hand movements or gait measurements. In November, Facebook showed off an early version of gloves that would provide haptic feedback so that users could “feel” virtual objects.

Insurers will build and promote personalized and needs-based policies that tap rising smart device penetration. For example, the number of smart home appliance users in the US will grow to nearly 20% of the population by 2025, per our forecast.