How Can IoT and 5G Bring a Change in Connectivity in the Future?
IoT and 5G have the potential to redefine how we interact with our surroundings in the future. Be it the web, our home, people, workplace, public transportation, utilities, etc. both these technologies are going to bring an enormous change.
By 2027, there will be more than 27 billion IoT connections working actively on a vast range of devices and peripherals. On the other hand, there will be 3 billion 5G subscriptions across the globe.
The IoT solutions are expected to raise around $4 to $11 trillion by 2025. At the same time, using 5G with IoT will lead to a reduction of energy usage by up to 90%. This will further bring down the implementation and operational costs of both technologies.
In a way, 5G will build a stable and robust foundation for IoT in the future, along with the ability to build high-speed connections. With this in mind, we will further discuss the impact of 5G and IoT connections.
What is 5G and IoT?
Before talking about the benefits of both the technologies, we will briefly discuss 5G and IoT to understand what they are and how they are relevant today or in the future.
What is 5G?
5G is a type of cellular network that has the potential to impact our smartphones, automobiles, homes, cities, and thereby our lives. It’s a fast-speed connection which itself brings a wide range of possibilities that can be explored.
The fifth-generation or 5G cellular network utilizes a wide variety of radio frequencies, which expands the range of connectivity options. The lower range is classified as sub-6GHz, which contains frequencies ranging from 600 MHz to 6GHz.
Some 4G/LTE services use this lower band of frequencies, such as phones, TV, Wi-Fi, and other commercially sponsored technology. Unlike 4G/LTE, however, 5G can reach above 6GHz, up to 86GHz in some cases. Higher bandwidth connections allow you to transfer data at higher speeds.
What is IoT?
IoT or the Internet of Things is a network of physical objects or so-called “things” embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies to connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the internet. These devices range in complexity from common household items to sophisticated industrial instruments.
An IoT ecosystem is made up of web-enabled smart devices that gather, send, and work on data from their surroundings using embedded systems. These systems or peripherals can be anything from a computer to sensors to other types of communication and connection hardware.
By connecting to an IoT gateway or other edge device, IoT devices can share sensor data routed to the cloud for analysis or examined locally. For the major part, IoT devices communicate without human intervention.
How are 5G and IoT Connected?
5G will help IoT explore new dimensions and achieve new milestones. It’s not only about the speed, but 5G is also more secure, reliable, and efficient. All these aspects will help IoT connections become more relevant and stable.
The 5G connection speed should be up to 20 gigabits per second, allowing for faster reaction or response times, which is crucial to operating IoT devices in the future. This kind of speed means over 100 billion mobile devices will be connected at the same moment around the world. In other words, about one million devices per square kilometer of connectivity are possible with 5G.
When it comes to IoT, the continual interaction of data between machines, systems, robots, and humans will become a necessary aspect of industrial production. The number of interconnected devices and parts will skyrocket.
In this scenario, you need high-speed connectivity to run these interactions seamlessly, provided by a 5G cellular network.
Benefits of 5G and IoT Connectivity. How Can They Make Things Better?
- High-Speed Data Transfer
As previously stated, 5G is up to 10 times quicker than previous cellular networks. The speed with which devices communicate and share data has a significant impact on the efficiency of IoT technology.
Most industries require a stable connection between tablets, phones, software, and apps in today’s environment. Programs function more smoothly, information is more organized, and data is more readily available. All users will benefit, and organizations will rely on vast amounts of data being easily sent from sensors and devices.
2. Connect More Devices:
IoT connections are becoming more complex and cobwebbed as we move forward. At the existing connection bandwidth, we can only connect a limited number of IoT devices. But with 5G coming into the picture, millions of devices can be connected to the network, and they all will work smoothly because a 5G connection is supporting them.
3. Lower Rates of Latency:
The amount of time it takes for devices to respond to an action or request is known as latency. In today’s work environment, which has almost gone remote, the work requires a lot of precision and accuracy. Any sort of lag can lead to several issues hampering the output and productivity.
With 5G into the picture, data transmissions will occur in near real-time, and that too with improved accuracy and lower latency. In several areas, such as surgical healthcare, automated transportation, telematics, and others, quick data transmission and real-time replies might be the difference between life and death.
Also, smart cars necessitate precision in the automotive industry, which can be easily provided by 5G and IoT connectivity. Lower latency is more convenient and safer, making 5G IoT critical for both current and future improvements.
4. Network Slicing:
Virtual networks (network slicing) and subnets are also easy to build, implement, and monitor with 5G. More so, it allows for better connectivity tailored to specific needs.
The creation of subnetworks will give specific characteristics to a part of the network, allowing for the prioritization of connections. Such as emergencies in front of other users, by applying different latencies or prioritizing them in the network connection so that they are not affected by possible mobile network overloads.
5G and IoT are game-changers, period. But when we combine these two technologies, the number of possibilities and potential applications increase manifold. In every industry and vertical you can imagine, 5G and IoT will have a significant impact in the future.
If implemented in the right way, we can build and live in smart cities. These cities will be characterized by reducing waste, effectively monitoring traffic, improving public transportation, and enhancing the usage of utilities.
More importantly, as 5G is adopted over the next few decades, healthcare domains can employ accurate augmented reality technologies to perform treatments remotely.
Then we can have smart grids aimed at increasing the efficiency of energy production, tracking, and monitoring while also helping to safeguard the environment.
Conclusion
Since 5G and IoT have applications in every industry and sphere of our lives, we can hope for a better future where these two technologies show us a better way to live, work, and interact.
5G’s higher spectrum bandwidth makes it possible to provide high speed and reliability of connections. There will be low latency, and data packs can be transmitted with ease.
5G and IoT will certainly improve a lot of things in the future. However, they must be implemented and connected with the right methodologies and systems.
