Mobile communication of the fifth generation and its place in the transformation processes of digitalization of the economy

The formation of the digital economy in the world is due to the development of a number of new breakthrough technologies that are unfolding in the process of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The basic of them is the fifth generation of mobile communication (5G), which provides the opportunity to implement a large number of new information and communication technologies, as well as hardware solutions and products for the economy and society. Countriesthat take the leadership in building 5G infrastructure and adopting fifth-generation mobile standards will be able to apply their successful expertise to deploy a new generation ofcommunications in other countries, opening up ample opportunities to enhance technological, economic and geopolitical impact on them. The paper is devoted to the analysis of trends in the formation and development of mobile technologies of the fifth generation in the world and its impact on the processes of digitalization of the economy, as well as the identification of promising practices for their implementation in Ukraine. In the course of the analysis, it is defined that 5G, unlike the previous generations of communication, is peculiar to large-scale virtualization, which goes beyond exclusively hardware and infrastructural decisions, and the majority of its functionality is realized by a software way. That is why it is often called not a network, but a system or platform that enables the implementation of a significant number of services and solutions, in particular: high-speed data transmission, a wide range of Internet of Things services, storing large data sets in cloud storage, virtual reality services, smart automation and robotics of production, unmanned vehicles, etc. But 5G is also characterized by a number of shortcomings (due to the use of short radio waves with rapid attenuation) that actualize the challenges, associated with increasing consumption of raw materials and energy, increased anthropogenic burden, lack of study of this technology’s potential negative impact on human health and local ecosystems etc. It is defined, that 5G-technologies, being a new event, according to the concept of technology life cycle are in the lower part of the S-shaped technological curve. This stage of technology development is characterized by significant financial investments and small economic returns, associated primarily with sales of radio frequency resources. Measures are proposed to avoid in the future for Ukraine the role of a raw material appendage of technologically developed countries, in terms of creating a favorable national institutional environment and ensuring support and encouragement of the development of new digital communication technologies.