1 Million IoT Devices Per Square Km- Are We Ready for the 5G Transformation?

Guest blog by Robert Arandjelovic, Director Product Marketing, Americas at Symantec

5G is the newest version of mobile technology — 5G stands for 5th generation — and while it will transform the way we use our phones, it also has the potential to transform many other aspects of everyday life. Here’s a brief introduction to the benefits of 5G, and some of technologies we might see as a result.

Increased speed, increased traffic

With every new generation of mobile technology, the first thing that catches people’s attention is always speed. With 5G, speed is taking a huge leap upwards. With 5G, we’re going to see speeds of up to 10 Gbps. For the first time, mobile network speeds are matching the speeds of business and area networks.

5G also creates massive increases in throughput, or how much overall volume the network can carry. Networking is a finite resource. You’ve probably noticed that when there’s more people on a home network, traffic moves more slowly. This is because the overall throughput is low. With 5G, they’re promising 10 TB terabytes per square kilometer, so you’re getting massive density in addition to speed. It’s like being in rush-hour traffic, while still moving at the speed limit.

Fuelling the growth of IoT

In addition to speed and throughput, 5G promises greatly increased device density, mobility and energy efficiency. The 5G network will be able to support up to 1 million devices per square kilometer. This will open the floodgates even wider for IoT devices, and those devices can stay connected, with greater battery life, even if you’re moving at speeds up to 500 km/h.

Unprecedented reliability

Finally, 5G brings incredibly low latency and very high reliability. A big factor with real-time video communication is when the video stops and starts — this is caused by latency, when it takes too long for the next set of packets to get to the destination. 5G will eliminate this. 5G is creating telephone network reliability on a mobile network. If you think in terms of the possibilities, being able to internet-connect everything, with super-high speeds and unbelievably good latency and reliability, will substantially increase the range of devices that can be connected, the range of applications that can be run and the sheer number of tasks that can be performed.

Big opportunities, but are there risks?

5G could pave the way for revolutionary and previously unimagined applications. Imagine a world where health care, even minor surgical procedures, was available remotely. Or a world where all cars are driverless, connecting seamlessly with each other to move people and goods safely and efficiently. 5G could bring these technologies to life, in just a few years.

What’s holding us back? In an era of data breaches, sensitivity to data privacy is growing. It’s worth noting that many of these use cases require immense amounts of data, and that data may be much more personal than may have been collected in the past. Now that big data analytics are becoming reality, the ability to use this data and leverage it properly make questions about privacy even more relevant. After all, as our world becomes increasingly dynamic, the consequences of exposure are growing.

Just as we can’t fully anticipate all the ways that 5G technology could improve our lives, we also can’t fully understand the risks. As we put more of our data out there, we become more exposed. If 5G networks, and the devices that run on them, are not secure, the consequences could be devastating. To see all the benefits of 5G, we must make sure that these innovative new devices and technologies have security built in as an integral part. There’s no doubt that the 5G world will be exciting. Let’s make sure that it’s exciting for the right reasons.

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