What power will the combination of 5G and intelligent automation bring?

It can be said that 5G and intelligent automation complement each other.

From 1G to 5G, we have indeed come a long way! The digital transformation we have seen over the years is remarkable. How can one not mention 2020 when talking about how far we have come in terms of digitalization. The year has not been great for many, but one thing that has caught everyone’s attention is how much we have become dependent on technology. Be it online learning, online work, online shopping, online socializing, etc., we have seen it all. It is worth mentioning that this trend is likely to continue in the future. Many of us have adapted to this “new normal”, and some of us have tried our best. While we have always relied on technology before the pandemic, the degree to which we rely on it now is crazy. All of this requires an excellent, reliable performance and a lot of bandwidth, as the demand for bandwidth is now at an all-time high. This is where the need for 5G and smart automation technologies comes into play.

5G is a network that is designed to connect everyone together virtually. This includes machines, objects, and devices. Needless to say, 5G is one of the hottest topics, grabbing eyeballs everywhere. With the sudden change in the way people work and study due to the outbreak, expectations for the next generation of network connectivity continue to grow. There are many sectors that rely heavily on technology. Healthcare, defense, transportation are a few of them. In the future, healthcare and autonomous vehicles are likely to not tolerate network instability or downtime, and the deployment of 5G becomes crucial. This is because, the speed and flexibility promised by 5G are the need of the hour.

5G and smart automation has several advantages that can be added to its gadgets. Excellent download speeds and faster connections are obviously two of them. In addition, it also has flexible connections and the ability to operate the network in real time, which makes it more ideal for meeting the unique demands put forward by today's networks. Despite the huge demand for 5G and smart automation, deploying 5G and smart automation is not an easy task.

How does 5G relate to automation?

5G has a lot to do with smart automation. In fact, the very existence of 5G depends on smart automation. Poor infrastructure is the top concern when considering the deployment of 5G. One must ensure that everything from antennas, transmitters to receivers are well connected. At this point, it is not an easy task to ensure that all these parts are well connected and the communication between them is effective. Moreover, the focus and attention required while doing so cannot be expressed in words. The reason is simple – if any of these devices has an issue or is not performing as expected, the entire network is at risk. So what is the solution? Smart automation to the rescue! Automation has the potential to monitor the equipment and identify the possible source of any crop issues. Not just this, smart automation also performs proactive health checks to identify issues before they arise, if any.

When 5G and smart automation are deployed, there will be many new tools and devices invented. All of them will cater to the management, monitoring, and maintenance of devices. There is a high chance that the antennas required for 5G will be much smaller than people think. It is worth mentioning that 5G brings a higher probability of failure. In addition, next-generation technologies such as software-defined networking (SDN) and virtualization will further increase the complexity in management and incident response.

5G is designed to provide constant connectivity. The same thing always comes with risks. This is where intelligent automation comes in handy. Automation is a good thing when it comes to reducing the associated risks. It will do this by constantly monitoring, maintaining, and managing the complex infrastructure of the network. In the process, automation will also identify the causes of issues that may arise over time. It also has the potential to dynamically provision the network in real-time as traffic fluctuates. This further helps in reducing latency. Wondering how it accomplishes this task. Well, just add in the predictive power of AI.

How will 5G help today?

The question of how long the effects of the pandemic will last remains unanswered, and likely will never be answered. But as companies lean towards an online work culture model, this is what many consider to be the “new normal.” However, adapting to this “new normal” is the reason to prioritize the deployment of 5G. It will increase productivity beyond expectations. If this is something companies wish to proceed with, then the right strategy and the right tools will help manage this new network infrastructure.

All in all, improved monitoring and maintenance through automation ultimately reduces the risk of downtime. And it doesn’t stop there. Automation also reduces the associated costs, which is why deploying intelligent automation will be the best solution to facilitate this next-generation connectivity.