CES 2023: CTA VP’s View of How Connectivity Will Shape the Future

LAS VEGAS, January 4, 2023 – Steve Koenig, vice president of research at the Consumer Technology Association, on Tuesday laid out how connectivity is likely to power the next decade’s technological innovation across industries including business, healthcare, transportation, agriculture, and entertainment.

Industry experts have argued that the Covid-19 pandemic made clear the need for universal broadband, a need they anticipate will grow going forward. Many are also bullish on next-generation 5G technologies, and policymakers are moving to make available the spectrum necessary to sustain them.

In his address to the Consumer Electronics Show 2023, Koenig predicted a diverse wave of technological innovation that will make business safer and more efficient and will help individual consumers lead better, healthier, more entertaining lives.

In warehouses, connectivity can drive efficient management and promote safer working conditions, Koenig said. Precision agriculture technologies, often powered by 5G, monitor environmental conditions and respond to them, making the farming process more efficient. In the transportation sector, Koenig predicted the increasing numbers of autonomous vehicles as well as in-vehicle voice-control and entertainment systems.

Koenig further predicted that use cases will include fitness technologies, telehealth services, and at-home patient monitoring, which will reduce patients’ time in hospitals.

Gaming is already entrenched in American culture, Koenig argued, stating that he United States has 164 million self-described gamers. According to his presentation, about 45 percent – 73.6 million – are mobile gamers, and the average time spent gaming per week is 24 hours.

Koenig argued for robust cybersecurity measures, including measures to protect communications, detect threats, fend off attacks, and much more.

“We used to say, ‘trust but verify,’” Koenig said. “Now we say, ‘zero trust.’”