Network of the Future: IOT with 5G
The commercialization of 5G networks is accelerating globally with the deployment of commercial 5G cellular networks. The availability of more affordable devices as well as rising demand from businesses and consumers are two factors that are propelling the adoption of 5G and the IoT. The adoption of international standards, along with significant operator investment in 5G technology, spectrum, and infrastructure, is also promoting growth and raising market interest in the IoT.
The 4G networks that are currently in use are growing into the 5G mobile cellular networks, which will continue to support a variety of use cases. With a long estimated duration, 5G can support both present needs, like smart energy applications, and anticipate use cases that are still some time off, like self-driving automobiles. Mobile operators will need to make sure that their networks can handle both present and future use case requirements as they manage the technological growth. When networks switch to 5G, prudent operators will manage their investments to guarantee that customers are supported. There are several advantages of 5G for the IoT over 4G and other technologies mainly in the fields of telecommunication, transportation and healthcare.
In the 5G future, resilience will be crucial since the mobile network is specifically expected to support essential and ultra-reliable technologies, such automatic control of industrial devices and self-driving cars. This is a crucial selling factor for 5G, as evidenced by the GSMA's designation of URLLC as one of the foundational elements of the 5G opportunity. URLLC is critical for enterprise IoT use cases and in the consumer sector for smart city and smart home applications.
Moreover the primary contributor of additional 5G income for mobile operators will be the business sector. By 2025, the GSMA predicts that 5G could be worth up to US$400 billion per year to operators thanks to its expanded capabilities and flexibility in meeting the needs of various enterprise clients. Compared to prior cellular technologies like 4G, 5G cellular connections will offer a number of advantages for businesses. In a number of crucial categories, such as speed, capacity, and latency, it improves upon 4G. Despite the fact that 4G is widely used, it will not be able to match 5G speeds or handle a large number of devices on the network. Another important factor for 5G is latency. Due to 5G's support for reduced latency, businesses can improve factory manufacturing processes. The largest advantage of 5G will be its ability to accommodate massive amounts of data traffic and large numbers of users, including IoT devices. As a result, 5G can aid in the expansion of the customer IOT market. According to some projections, 5G will have the bandwidth for each client to get at least 100GB each month. Additionally, the price per bit is expected to drop, potentially enabling "unlimited" data bundles. Low latency and maximum throughput IoT services for consumers will also be supported by 5G. Consumer use cases that will profit from 5G's lower latency capabilities include the "tactile Internet," which enables fingertip control over remote assets, and "immersive communications," which include high definition video conferencing. It is predicted that the latency between the device and base station will be as low as 1ms.
Furthermore by allowing a huge number of IoT connections to traffic signals, cameras, and sensors, 5G will enable improved traffic control in cities. Smart meters will track energy use and contribute to consumption reduction because they are supported by 5G low cost IoT sensors and connections. Consumers should profit in the transportation sector, as 5G-connected IoT devices offer improved safety features for drivers. These include of enhanced infotainment features, collision detection, susceptible user detection, and sophisticated warning capabilities.
In addition to being able to support a very broad range of devices and their various service needs, 5G networks can safely handle the enormous amount of data that IoT devices will produce. To manage the data quantities produced by the IoT, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and edge computing will also be helpful. In conclusion, other 5G improvements like network slicing, private networks, and 5G core are expected to contribute to the realization of the dream of a worldwide IoT network, supporting a huge number of connected devices with various mobility and accessibility needs.
-Sethmi Ayathma Ranasinghe
