What if you lived in a world where biometric data could be monitored instantly, AI could make decisions in milliseconds, and whole cities could adapt dynamically to how people live?
That world isn’t decades away, it's already here, and our new event series, The Future Is Here, explores what a hyper-connected world means for business, society and the economy.
The session opened with a keynote from renowned futurist and author Rocky Scopelliti, followed by an expert panel on 5G, smart cities and the infrastructure needed to support the next wave of innovation. This panel featured:
Matthew Schultz, President, Australian Smart Communities Association
Sandra Vallance, CEO, Sabrenet
Dave Gerner, Innovation Manager, City of Adelaide
Faheem Tabassum, Senior Manager, 5G & Cloud Edge, Optus Business
Rocky Scopelliti, Futurist and Author
The discussion was moderated by Chris Kirk, General Manager of Stone & Chalk Adelaide. Here's what you need to know to stay ahead of the curve.
This decade is where everything connects
Drawing on research conducted with around 700 Australian executives, including 170 CEOs, board directors and chairs, Scopelliti described the years ahead as “the programmatic decade.”
The next phase of change will not be driven by one technology alone, but by the convergence of many.
Artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, blockchain, IoT, 3D manufacturing, synthetic biology and ultra-fast mobile networks are all developing at once, and all are increasingly fuelled by data.
This technology will increasingly allow us to “augment our digital, physical, biological and environmental worlds”, fundamentally changing how we live and work by 2030.
Among the possibilities he outlined were developments that once belonged purely to science fiction.
Computers with human-level intelligence, virtual reality that replicates physical reality, autonomous transport across road, rail and air, and nanobots inside the human body.
Scopelliti also highlighted the rise of advanced manufacturing. He predicts that by the end of the decade 3D printing could radically alter production economics, with products manufactured for a fraction of traditional costs.
But there is strong optimism around this. He revealed that 68% of professionals expect breakthroughs in biology, including new treatments for illness, and 74% believe science and technology have already improved our social, cultural and economic future.
Data becomes your competitive edge
At the centre of this shift is data.
Scopelliti noted that the digital world is becoming increasingly immersive, decentralised and distributed, with rising computing power and connectivity creating new opportunities across every sector. But he also stressed that not all data will be equal.
According to his research, “The tipping point is when data becomes hyper-critical.” This is where data becomes indispensable to daily life.
He pointed to forecasts that by 2025 the global data sphere will reach 163 zettabytes. This is ten times the volume generated in 2016, and this will transform everything from healthcare and transport to automation and city planning.
That shift will require more than storage. It will require systems capable of turning vast data flows into intelligence.
“Cognitive systems like machine learning, natural language processing and artificial intelligence are going to become critical to convert all of that data into intelligence.”
5G’s impact on people and business
According to Matthew Schultz, Australia is still in the early stages of its 5G rollout.
Current deployments have largely focused on upgrading 4G towers using low- and mid-band spectrum.
The next major leap will come through high-band spectrum. This is commonly known as millimetre wave, which will unlock much greater bandwidth, lower latency and support for far more simultaneous connections.
Schultz said the full rollout of high-capability 5G infrastructure will take time.
“It’s going to take the telcos probably the next three to five even up to seven years to actually roll that full capability 5G out across all parts of Australia.”
He noted that dense urban areas such as CBDs, stadiums and shopping centres will likely be prioritised first, while rural and remote areas may be slower to benefit.
But the implications are significant. Unlike previous mobile generations, 5G will require a deeper street-level architecture, including the rollout of small cells embedded into the built environment.
For businesses, the value of 5G is not simply faster internet.
Faheem Tabassum said 5G should be understood through three key capability areas: higher speed, lower latency and ultra-reliability. Different industries will use those capabilities in different ways.
“What 5G means to FSI is very different to what 4G means to the manufacturing sector.”
Faheem explained that while advanced 4G can approach entry-level 5G performance in some scenarios, it falls short in the areas that matter most for more complex industrial use cases.
“4G was never fit for purpose in terms of running a manufacturing environment in terms of exploring advanced manufacturing.”
By contrast, 5G enables new use cases that depend on instant response times and dependable connectivity. “That’s the beauty of 5G… it addresses different challenges in different verticals.”
Faster decisions at the edge
Tabassum also pointed to another major shift: edge computing.
Rather than sending all data to one centralised cloud data centre, 5G enables computing power, storage and networking to be distributed much closer to where people and devices are operating.
“A 5G network can also host that compute, storage, networking at different premises.”
In practical terms, that means businesses and devices can access processing power only milliseconds away, dramatically reducing lag and opening up new possibilities for AI, robotics and automation.
Tabassum used robotics as an example:
“A robot doesn’t need to be very intelligent. It can be a dumb robot as long as it’s connected to 5G low latency and is able to tap into brain power just a few milliseconds away from it.”
That, he said, is what changes the economics of adoption.
Why Adelaide is ahead on connectivity
If hyper-connectivity depends on infrastructure, Adelaide has a head start.
Sandra Vallance outlined the role of Sabrenet, a not-for-profit fibre-optic network established to support research, education and innovation across South Australia.
Sabrenet’s network spans around 400 kilometres across Adelaide, connecting education and innovation districts and helping power initiatives such as GigCity.
The goal has been to reduce the barriers that traditionally prevented startups and scaleups from accessing fast, affordable broadband.
“We could get away from the barriers of entry for many startups and scale-ups.”
GigCity now connects 23 innovation precincts across Greater Adelaide, from Lot Fourteen to Gawler and Tonsley. Vallance said this has given businesses access to gigabit connectivity at a fraction of the cost previously required.
“The very inexpensive gigabit speed has made an enormous difference.”
She shared examples of the network’s impact, including organisations that previously had to send large files on hard drives but can now collaborate with clients in real time.
Smart cities should be about people
For the City of Adelaide, the smart city conversation is not about deploying gadgets for the sake of it. It is about using technology to improve city life.
Dave Gerner said Adelaide’s size and layout make it an ideal test bed for smart city initiatives, supported by a growing fibre network and a willingness to trial new ideas.
He pointed to examples such as real-time environmental sensing, heat measurement and people movement data, which can help the city respond to climate impacts and improve urban planning.
“Smart cities… is all about the implementation of technology for citizens.”
He also noted that the best smart city outcomes are often invisible. “We will have a nice successive measure of a smart city when you don’t notice the technology.”
That could mean sensor-enabled waste systems, more responsive transport, safer public spaces, or data-informed planning that makes cities more liveable, sustainable and inclusive.
The new risk is security, privacy and trust
Alongside the excitement, the event returned repeatedly to the risks of a hyper-connected future, especially around cybersecurity, privacy and trust.
Scopelliti warned that the rapid spread of connected devices is already creating significant vulnerabilities.
“The speed with which devices and sensors are coming off production lines without any security requirement within them is truly disturbing.”
He cited figures suggesting that while the number of IoT devices is set to surge, only around half include meaningful security capability. That is why, he argued, cybersecurity cannot be treated as an afterthought.
“We really need to begin our thinking by being cyber by design.”
That message was echoed by other panellists. Gerner said security is likely the common concern shared by individuals, businesses and governments alike.
“That is the number one thing that we have to manage as an organisation, as individuals, as a nation.”
Vallance added that if societies fail to bring communities along, the result could be a widening divide between those who benefit from technological change and those who feel excluded by it.
“We actually need to provide meaning to all of the community because otherwise we’re just going to have a whole bunch of haves and have-nots.”
What must Australia do to stay competitive
When asked what Australia must do now, the panel’s answers converged around one theme: collaboration.
Schultz argued that the country needs to stop treating digital infrastructure as optional or experimental. “Digital infrastructure is BAU. No more business cases, no more strategies, we just got to get on and just build it.”
Scopelliti called for systems leadership – a coordinated approach bringing together government, industry, the private sector and the public sector to create the conditions for innovation at scale.
“We have to come together on this. We can’t just wait for policy to come out and then react.”
Tabassum made the same point from an industry perspective: “Optus alone cannot unlock the value that is created by this hyper connectivity. Collaboration is really key to win in this area.”
The future is already here, are you ready?
The biggest takeaway from the session was not that the future will be more connected. It is that connectivity is already becoming the foundation of how we live, work, build and compete.
From 5G and edge computing to smart city infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, digital healthcare and autonomous systems, the pieces are already moving into place.
The question is no longer whether this shift is happening, but whether we can build the infrastructure and trust needed to make it work for everyone.
This webinar is the first in our new event series “The Future Is Here". You can watch the full discussion on our YouTube channel.
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