Here’s an unexpected application for new 5G networks: cooking.
According to Zhao Feng, vice president and chief technology officer of Haier Smart Home, connected cooking is a use case that’s already available—and made possible thanks to the next-generation wireless networks that are currently being rolled out across urban China.
Here’s how it works: Haier already sells a “kitchen hub” product for homes that includes a camera positioned above a stovetop. Consumers can now connect these hubs to 5G networks to live-stream as they whip up a favorite dish, or get adventurous with a less familiar one.
There could be plenty of help in the kitchen to draw on.
“For everyday appliances, these are going to be fundamentally improved,” said Zhao, speaking at Fortune’s Global Tech Forum in Guangzhou, China, this week. “I think in the next five years, cooking at home will be completely different,” added the executive.
If enabling people to become better cooks seems trivial, there are many other applications that 5G will make possible for consumers and businesses, according to Zhao and several other speakers who participated in a panel on the shift to 5G at Fortune’s technology conference.
Dennis Song, vice president of Lenovo Group and managing partner of Lenovo Capital, said his company is working to connect not just people but machines to 5G networks, enabling new levels of automation for businesses.
Du Yeqing, vice president of Huawei’s 5G product line, agreed that 5G is not just about connecting people, but also connecting things. The next five to 10 years, said Du, will be about merging with other industries, from media companies to manufacturers. “We have lots to do, it’s not just the network,” said Du.
To be sure, there’s also a lot of work to be done building out the networks—especially in less developed areas outside of China where spectrum isn’t as readily available, and where 5G rollouts have become mired in geopolitics, regulatory hurdles and security concerns.
“Part of the challenge is each country has different priorities in the 5G game,” said Paul Triolo, practice head of geo-technology at the Eurasia Group, a speaker on the 5G panel. “In the next few years we will see some major issues play out.”
Whether connected cooking pans out is anybody’s guess. It may be the use case that proves enduring. There are plenty of other business reasons for countries still on the sidelines to figure out their 5G strategies, the experts agreed.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—How 5G will transform the electric vehicle industry
—These brain specialists built ear pods to boost workplace productivity
—Is the future of healthcare in China?
—Why 5G won’t spell the end for network storage
—Adding A.I. to gene sequencing can help detect cancer early
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