5G – The Innovation That Will Unlock The Potential Of IoT
The June 2019 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report forecasts 1.9 billion 5G subscriptions which mean IoT is likely to reach its full potential as 5G becomes its enabler.
As there is a surge expected in the number of IoT devices within households (for increased security), 5G will accommodate these devices from close range to long distance, at unmatched speeds while maintaining unbelievable data rates.
In the industrial space, 5G will facilitate wireless sensors deployment throughout factories/storage units along with smarter robots, ensuring a seamless transition from hierarchal network design toward a connected one.
Further, the integration of 5G in IoT will enable manufacturers to expand and reimagine their factories/warehouses, infrastructure and security to develop new 5G products and revamp old ones. Consumers would also have to update their homes/workplaces to underpin what is likely to be a ‘necessary connectedness’.
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Potential applications of a 5G-IoT ecosystem
- Self-driving cars: They will benefit from high-speed connectivity and low latency, enabling efficient data collection – used to track the condition of the car and upgrade future designs – ensuring optimum service.
- Healthcare: Rural and remote areas without proper healthcare will benefit greatly as more medical devices become IoT-enabled and low latency makes remote surgeries (telesurgery) possible.
- Logistics: Sophisticated IoT tracking will transform logistics operations; increased speed and lower latency mean data (of a more varied nature) will be gathered in real-time.
- Smart cities: 5G will handle the massive data load from increased no. of sensors and enable water, waste and traffic management along with the integration of several intelligent systems
- Retail: Increased customer engagement (with the incorporation of AR and VR) is expected; retailers will connect with shoppers faster with improved digital signage and every shelf item will have its digital twin.
Key aspects of 5G for IoT
- Each industry has unique IoT connectivity needs and 5G will help cater to all by enabling operators serve multiple IoT customers from their 5G network platform
- Since 5G is for consumers and enterprises, majority of operators are working to drive cellular IoT on LTE networks with enterprise customers
- Eventually, all LTE based IoT connections will be serviced by a multi-access 5G design that serves 5G IoT connections simultaneously
- 5G can embrace up to 100 times more connected devices (per unit area) as compared to 4G
- 5G will see a 90% reduction in network energy usage with 10 years of battery life for low power IoT devices
In essence, 4G is inadequate for tackling data load from continuously increasing no. of sensors and connected devices – limiting IoT from reaching its full potential. A relevant remark from the Ericsson Group CTO at Mobile World Congress 2018 was, “working with IoT opportunities, I think that’d be fantastic because then we can show some of these use cases becoming business cases.” This further stresses the significance of businesses’ need to capitalize on 5G’s superior capabilities.
We at Strategic Systems International know that 5G will impact the IoT space dramatically. Therefore, working with an IoT specialist is important. Our IoT experts can help adjust your IoT deployments enabling you to take full advantage of 5G and IoT as soon as the latest generation of cellular networks becomes publicly open. Get in touch with us!
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