5G and the Internet of Things: Connecting Millions of Devices

As the number of connected devices continues to grow thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), higher speeds and lower latency will enable autonomous devices to communicate with each other faster and with greater confidence, making decisions and subsequent actions more effective. Increased speed and reliability will lead to greater safety and lower costs.

Another advantage of 5G networks over 4G is that they will enable new levels of connectivity and device communication due to faster, lower latency and more reliable connections. This performance will enable a greater number of devices to connect to the network and allow data transmission over long distances.

What is the Internet of Things and what are its uses

The best way to understand the Internet of Things is to understand its uses. Direct communication between devices has many uses and can simplify, improve and automate processes of a different nature in different fields, such as industrial processes, autonomous mobility or the digitalization of various sectors.

At this point, we once again encounter 5G as a support for high-power infrastructure to ensure a more secure and stable connection for tens of thousands of smart devices at the same time.

5G is the fifth generation of mobile networks, an improved and enhanced version of the previous generation 4G; it increases the capacity that the 2010 infrastructure can provide a thousand-fold, which is the real disruption.

Before 4G, mobile networks were designed by people and for people, even though everything started to be connected from 2G. 4G was the first version developed with the Internet of Things in mind, which has different requirements and needs from people.

NB-IoT is an example of this, with its focus on device simplicity (thus reducing costs) and maximizing battery life to the unexpected limit of more than 10 years.

This comes at the expense of speed and latency, but for some IoT applications, speed and latency are not important, simplicity and battery life are.

As mentioned above, the technology supports the growing number of connected devices in various fields such as Industry 4.0, telemedicine, education, streaming broadcasting, connected vehicles and smart cities.

Why is 5G important for the Internet of Things?

The impact of 5G will be closely related to the number of devices connected simultaneously in different regions. For example, at the home level, home appliances, security or entertainment systems will help us feel more comfortable at home.

The importance of low latency is particularly evident in fields such as industry or healthcare, and in some cases, being able to operate remotely in near real time may become critical.

While 4G was already a significant step forward, 5G is evolving the network to accommodate an order of magnitude increase in the number of machines connected to the network. In this context, today, as a general rule, mobile networks offer less than one IoT device for each “mobile” person, but this will soon change, and in a few years, each “mobile” person may be connected to two or three IoT devices.

5G and IoT Application Examples

Connected Car

In terms of connected cars, understood as vehicles with internet access that can receive and transmit data, the push for 5G and IoT will help improve road safety while reducing costs and pollution.

By being able to predict dangerous situations, one report estimates that connected cars could save 11,000 lives and eliminate 260,000 accidents each year worldwide, reducing health problems and even economic losses.

Additionally, pollution caused by traffic jams will be reduced because traffic jams can be prevented and drivers will be able to modify their routes by using alternative routes.

Industry 4.0

Advances in 5G and IoT can drive progress in the industrial sector by adapting operators’ tasks to the work of machines and the data they generate. Some of the positive aspects arising from the combination of connectivity and the production sector include:

● Improve energy efficiency through real-time monitoring of energy consumption and emissions.

● Improve business profitability by reducing costs and providing improved services.

● Control machinery to reduce risks and accidents.

● Improve production quality by minimizing potential human risks and reducing manual operations.

Telemedicine

As we have already mentioned, 5G has almost zero latency, which helps to enable remote real-time work, for example, surgical interventions thousands of kilometers away. With the Internet of Things, patients can be monitored remotely, which is especially useful if we are talking about people with chronic diseases or the elderly.

in conclusion

Having more and more connected devices that can also transfer information faster will allow different sectors to benefit from advantages in different areas, such as safety, sustainability or productivity.