5G is a multiheaded monster compared with its predecessors, with no clear idea which of the heads, or areas of research, is leading the charge. Any hope that this week’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 would establish clearly why consumers need 5G, and what the direction of travel should be, will be disappointed amid a plethora of conflicting demonstrations and absence of compelling use cases. This was rather amusingly laid bare at the congress by Qualcomm, BT and fast-growing Shenzhen-based Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, talking about their collaboration over 5G while appealing to developers for apps that would bring it to life. This absence of apps was dressed up in hyperbole about the wonderful use cases that 5G will enable,…