The internet of things is growing exponentially, with over 75 billion connected devices expected by 2025. This massive volume of connected devices presents immense opportunities across industries, but also requires advanced networking capabilities. This is where 5G comes in – the next generation of cellular networking that delivers lightning fast speeds, massive capacity, and ultra-reliable low latency connectivity to support innovative new IoT use cases.
In this article, we dive deep on how 5G will transform key IoT applications in 2024 and beyond.
Why 5G is a Game Changer for IoT
The improvements 5G brings over previous cellular generations make it a game changing technology for unlocking the full potential of IoT. Here are the key enhancements:
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Blazing fast speeds – 5G supports peak download speeds of up to 10 Gbps, which is 100x faster than 4G LTE networks. This enables advanced applications with heavy bandwidth needs like high-definition video feeds.
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Ultra-low latency – Latency is reduced to under 1 millisecond on 5G networks, compared to 30-50 ms on 4G. This real-time connectivity opens the door for mission critical IoT apps.
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Massive capacity – 5G networks can support over 1 million devices per square kilometer, scaling to meet even dense IoT sensor deployments.
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Wider coverage – Higher spectrum frequencies allow signals to travel farther and penetrate buildings/walls better.
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Enhanced security – 5G includes additional encryption and user authentication capabilities to enable secure IoT data exchange.
With these enhancements, 5G provides the reliable, high-performance connectivity needed to realize the full potential of IoT across applications.
Top 4 Use Cases Set to Soar
Here we dive into the top 4 IoT use cases poised for growth through 5G‘s capabilities.
1. Research and Development
5G will accelerate R&D by enabling engineers to design, prototype, and refine connected products faster than ever. For example, 5G can facilitate highly immersive locational virtual reality experiences.
A VR walking tour of a city could pull in real-time video feeds from cameras throughout the city to simulate an incredibly realistic experience. Approaching major landmarks would overlay actual live footage onto the scene to make it feel live.
This hyper-realistic digital twin of the physical environment just isn’t possible without 5G’s high bandwidth and dense connectivity.
Product engineers can also leverage 5G test beds to rapidly iterate on IoT product designs. With a 5G connection, they can deploy prototype configurations to the test environment and collect performance data on factors like usage, environmentals, and component telemetry.
By analyzing this real-world testing data, engineers can refine and optimize the design through multiple iterations in a fraction of the time.
- IDC predicts that 65% of global infrastructure will be digitally enabled by 2022, with 5G playing a pivotal role.
- An estimated $8 trillion in infrastructure spending will be directed toward digital transformation initiatives between now and 2025.
2. Smart Cities
Smart cities leverage IoT sensors, real-time data and analytics to improve infrastructure efficiency and quality of life. 5G is key to making this vision a reality.
For example, pervasive 5G connections can allow traffic signals to dynamically adapt to real-time conditions, reducing congestion during rush hour. In-road sensors and cameras feeds would provide data to an AI system to optimize traffic light timing and routing.
Cities could also streamline trash collection using fill-level sensors in bins. Waste trucks with 5G connectivity can access this real-time data to optimize routes and fuel consumption.
Sensors can even adjust the timing of street sprinklers and sweepers based on air quality data to proactively keep pollution down.
- McKinsey estimates that 5G-enabled smart city applications can have a $1.2 trillion GDP impact by 2025.
- MarketsandMarkets forecasts the smart cities market size to grow from $465 billion in 2020 to $2 trillion by 2025.
3. Transportation
5G will be a key enabler for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication in transportation. V2X allows vehicles to securely share data with surrounding infrastructure, pedestrians, and other vehicles in real time.
For example, cars can receive notifications of pedestrians about to enter the road around a blind corner, giving advanced warning to avoid accidents. This is only possible with 5G‘s speed and consistent connectivity.
V2X also enables cooperative collision avoidance between vehicles. By sharing speed and trajectory data, vehicles can coordinate and perform automated maneuvers to prevent accidents.
McKinsey estimates that V2X connectivity could help avoid 300,000 accidents per year in the EU alone, preventing thousands of fatalities.
These safety benefits also pave the way for autonomous driving, which relies heavily on real-time data exchange. 5G provides the fast, reliable connectivity self-driving cars need.
- V2X technology is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16% through 2028.
- The autonomous driving market is forecast to grow from $54.23 billion in 2019 to $556.67 billion by 2026.
4. Healthcare
5G has huge potential to enable advances in remote healthcare through IoT devices, real-time monitoring, and computer-assisted care.
Patients can use 5G-enabled wearables and sensors to provide doctors with continuous streams of biometric data for enhanced diagnostics and early interventions.
5G also facilitates remote patient monitoring for chronic conditions like diabetes, enabling patients to live freely while doctors monitor key metrics like glucose levels. This is a major quality of life improvement.
5G even opens the door for remote surgery by enabling surgeons to operate robotic tools in real time across vast distances. This allows top specialists to contribute their skills to complex procedures at remote hospitals.
- The global 5G healthcare market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 122% through 2028.
- IoT technology could result in cost savings of $305 billion in healthcare between 2018 and 2020.
Unlocking Innovation with 5G + IoT
In summary, 5G delivers the high bandwidth, massive connectivity, ultra-reliability and low latency needed to drive innovation across diverse IoT applications.
As thought leaders in data engineering and analytics, we are closely tracking the companies and technologies poised for transformational growth in the 5G IoT era. Get in touch to see how we can partner with you to capitalize on the immense opportunities ahead.