Why “work from anywhere” can benefit every business.

As the world begins to embrace the new, post-pandemic normal, it’s clear that work as we know it has undergone a paradigm shift. What began as a way to protect employees from getting sick, work from home (WFH) is morphing into work from anywhere (WFX) as many companies opt to keep those policies in place indefinitely. 

While the differences between “WFH” and “WFX” may seem semantic, WFX underscores how the technologies organizations have relied on to transition employees out of the office and into the home are about to get a lot more capable with 5G.

How 5G unlocks WFX (and on a bigger scale).

We've all heard about a 5G future where ultra-fast, ultra-low latency wireless connectivity empowers use cases like remote, robotic surgeries or fleets of connected autonomous vehicles traversing highways inches apart—but these use cases are still years away from ubiquity. What many business leaders aren’t hearing is how the low- and mid-band 5G spectrum widely available today can offer real, tangible benefits to address what businesses need now.

Today, T-Mobile's Extended Range 5G—fueled by low-band spectrum—can be up to twice as fast as the previous gold standard, 4G LTE, and covers more than 280 million people across nearly 1.6 million square miles. T-Mobile's Ultra Capacity 5G—which is largely fueled by mid-band spectrum—covers over 100 million people in some of the most populated areas of the country and, by the end of 2021, that number will double.

At the same time, hundreds of 5G enabled smartphones, laptops, and tablets are hitting the market today. Hotspots and other devices that provide 5G-enabled Wi-Fi to a few devices in a small area are also becoming available. This means that all those employees who are currently tethered to their homes via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cables will be able to work from anywhere with the power of 5G.

What the 5G future of WFX will look like.

While low- and mid-band 5G spectrum won't change how devices and apps function in the short-term, it will improve how well they work and where you can use them. 

Traveling nurses, for example, depend on cloud-based apps accessed via a laptop, smartphone, or tablet to onboard new patients, review and submit orders, and interact with colleagues and doctors via video conference. Because broadband is not always available, many nurses still fill out reams of paper forms "just in case."

This common problem affects anyone who has to travel for work or works in the field. It also limits WFH employees' ability to work from places that might benefit them more than their kitchen table or a make-shift office next to the washer and dryer.

T-Mobile’s Extended Range 5G and Ultra Capacity 5G remedy these situations by providing remote workers and other “road warriors” with dependable, high-speed connectivity (up to 300Mbps), in thousands of cities and towns across the U.S., helping to reduce dependency on Wi-Fi or 4G LTE.

For people that download and upload lots of data, such as insurance adjusters, the future with 5G means they will no longer have to wait to send and receive the information until they have a good connection. Large video files, for example, will fly from device to the cloud in seconds—just like they do from terrestrial broadband connections today.

Desktop-like functionality across devices, wherever your people work.

Woman sits on her couch and works on her laptop

Longer-term, the growing availability of reliable high-speed broadband like T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity 5G will allow vendors making productivity and collaboration tools to enhance their offerings to more closely resemble in-office experiences by off-loading device-side processing to cloud networks and introducing more artificial intelligence (AI).

As part of that trend towards desktop-like functionality, unified communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) could get a real adoption boost from the speed and low latency introduced by Ultra Capacity 5G and the widespread adoption of work-from-anywhere policies. Already popular with many businesses, UCaaS platforms offer digital nomads the ability to roll all of their communications needs up into one service. Like continuous 5G connectivity, this saves them time, improves remote collaboration, and increases productivity.

UCaaS platforms offer digital nomads the ability to roll all of their communications needs up into one service.

T-Mobile for Business is taking the next step by bringing 5G connectivity, UCaaS, and mobility solutions together to help your distributed teams work from almost anywhere. Utilizing America’s largest and fastest 5G network,i T-Mobile WFX include unlimited 5G with the latest 5G phones, tablets, and hotspots; AI-powered cloud communications including calling, messaging, and conferencing; and business-grade 5G/4G LTE fixed wireless connectivity in your employees’ homes.

This combination of reliable 5G connectivity, an intuitive UCaaS platform, and the 5G-ready devices can unlock the real benefits of WFX for your remote teams and business as a whole:

  • A single, nationwide 5G network provider greatly simplifies sourcing across different markets and geographies
  • A business-only 5G/4G LTE solution eliminates the “conflict crisis” experienced with shared home broadband, with the ability to limit access to employee devices and filter non-business content
  • Quick, easy installation and set-up helps employees get started fast (no IT pro needed) 

Keeping you connected and productive, where work happens.

While “what's next” is always a bit of mystery, the hard trends—work from anywhere, the move to 5G, the innovation that always follows advances in networking—all point to a future where work is less about where you do something and more about what you get done. Expanding WFX support for your employees is a critical imperative, both now and into the future.

Ready to give your workforce the speed to connect and the remote work tools they need to collaborate where work happens? Learn more about T-Mobile WFX.

iDisclaimer: T-Mobile is America’s Largest 5G network & Opensignal Awards T-Mobile as America’s Fastest 5G network – USA: 5G User Experience Report January 2021, based on independent analysis of average speeds from mobile measurements recorded during the period September 16 – December 14, 2020 © 2021 Opensignal Limited. Capable device required; coverage not available in some areas. Some uses may require certain plan or feature; see T-Mobile.com.

During congestion, heavy data users (>50GB/mo. for most plans; >100GB/mo. on Magenta for Business) and customers choosing lower-prioritized plans may notice lower speeds than other customers; see plan for details. Video typically streams on smartphone/tablet at 480p. Magenta MAX for Business: Activate up to 4K UHD streaming on capable device, or video typically streams at 480p. 40GB full-speed tethering.

Want even more trends, insights, and success stories?
Browse our Business Insights hub