Leaders from across media, technology, telecom and government will gather this week in Las Vegas for CES 2020, the influential global technology conference. Among the many issues to be addressed at the annual event, which officially starts Jan. 7, 5G is expected to be a featured topic across industry conversations.

Sarah Brown, an event communications director for the Consumer Technology Association, the trade organization that owns and produces CES, recently told S&P Global Market Intelligence in an interview that 5G is "a huge theme" and that the technology is driving innovation in a number of industries.

Major carriers are expected to ramp up 5G deployments around the globe in 2020. As adoption increases and access to the technology expands, device-makers will unveil new products compatible with 5G.

As CES has historically been an event where large companies release new devices, major smartphone-makers such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics Inc. are expected to unveil a new range of 5G smartphones, which would add to the limited set of available devices that support the next-generation mobile technology.

Additional 5G-related hardware, such as modems and smart home products, could also be highlighted, S&P Global Market Intelligence reported. QUALCOMM Inc.'s new Snapdragon 865 mobile chipset is expected to be featured in a range of presentations at the conference. The chipset will be used to power improved 5G performance in many 2020 Android smartphones.

5G mobility service promises to provide increased bandwidth and more opportunities for connectivity, enabling the new era of the internet of things where billions of devices in homes and across cities will be connected at all times. When fully implemented, 5G will offer download speeds many times faster than 4G LTE networks and significantly lower latency times. Latency is the amount of time it takes to send a message from the device to the network and get a response.

In addition to product unveilings, discussions on the impact 5G will have on industries will also play a prominent role at the conference.

On Jan. 7, Mo Katibeh, chief marketing officer of AT&T Inc.'s AT&T Business, will join a panel discussion that looks at how implementing 5G will impact providers, policymakers and businesses.

The next day, Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon will speak at an event titled "Predictions: How 5G Will Change Your Life."

Additionally, Jason Elliott, 5G market development director for Nokia Corp., will participate in a panel discussion Jan. 8 on integrating 5G into retail, such as digital signage, mixed reality experiences and new payments.

	Government
	Jan. 7	The U.S. trade representative will host a public hearing on the proposed action in response to a French digital tax.
	Jan. 8	A subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hearing titled "Americans at Risk: Manipulation and Deception in the Digital Age."
	Industry, legal and think tank events
	Jan. 6	Editors from the media publication Fortune will host an event titled "Brainstorm TECH" in Las Vegas.
	Jan. 7-10	CES 2020, a globally influential technology trade show hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, takes place in Las Vegas.
	Jan. 7-8	Citi will host its 2020 Global TMT West Conference.

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