When we published the first edition of The Sprint to 5G last March, we made the case that evolutions in the telecom industry typically take place once a decade and that the 2020s will be an era defined by the rollout and adoption of 5G.

A century ago, the Roaring Twenties were an era marked by economic prosperity, technical innovation and societal progress. Following the end of the Great War (now known as WWI) and “The Forgotten Depression” (which occurred between 1920 and 1921 when GDP plummeted by 24%), the stock market surged for the better part of the decade, jumping 250% through late-September of 1929.

The physical and digital universes have something in common: sheer size with respect to volumes that are so large that they require special measurement units. Once one gets used to these new dimensions, concepts like “large” and “small” take on new meaning.

Two years ago to the month, bitcoin was in the midst of a surge that put some of the frothiest bubbles of all-time to shame. The unprecedented run saw the price of a single bitcoin swell from just under $1,000 at the beginning of 2017 to over $20,000 towards the end of the year.