How 5G will shape the future of construction

5G is an enabler that will deliver new capabilities and opportunities for businesses across all industries. James Bristow, Senior Vice President EMEA at Cradlepoint, tells us how 5G will power the construction sites of the future and discusses how visionary company Taylor Construction has launched the first real deployment of 5G connectivity.

From real-time 3D modeling to GPS tracking of equipment and tools, construction sites are often a hotbed of the latest cutting-edge technology. On the other hand, getting devices to communicate with each other can be a challenge. After all, it’s hard to plug a laptop into a wall when the wall isn’t even built yet.

This provides a clear use case for wireless as the primary method of network connectivity for the industry, an area that is proving to be as transformative as the physical devices it connects. From gigabit speeds on LTE to millisecond latency on 5G, the power of wireless wide area networks (WWANs) enables sites to achieve Ethernet-like connection quality without having to lay a single cable.

How 5G will power the construction sites of the future

5G promises to deliver 10 to 100 times faster speeds. It will also unlock 10 to 100 times more capacity than current Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. This will give those working on construction nearly instant access to data-intensive Edge and cloud applications, allowing multiple users to interact in real time from anywhere in the world. Given that construction sites are complex and ever-changing environments, this will be a huge advancement.

5G is also key to unlocking the capabilities of large-scale machine-type communications in the construction industry through network slicing, higher data processing capabilities, and more efficient connection channels. The technology will provide highly scalable range and wide geographic coverage to help complex building and infrastructure projects (such as smart cities), where the number of nodes will be much higher than normal projects.

Looking ahead, 5G will also prove key to accelerating the industry’s move toward autonomous and remote operations — in other words, machines alone can complete projects without sending humans to the site. Even if remote control technology currently exists, 5G’s ultra-low latency can eliminate any connection delays and ensure that work is completed with sufficient speed and precision. This may also unlock the capabilities of self-driving machines, which are able to accurately map areas, recognize signals, and communicate with other machines more efficiently.

Real-world examples of 5G being put to the test in the construction industry

Recently, visionary company Taylor Construction demonstrated the power of 5G in transforming the construction industry with one of the first real-world deployments of 5G connectivity.

Driven by the need for more advanced, agile software platforms to support everything from blueprint design to site security, Taylor Construction noted that such applications require real-time data, which is only possible with 5G networks that have high bandwidth, low latency and are running continuously at the server edge.

Using enterprise-grade WWANEdge solutions from Cradlepoint, the company has successfully deployed a number of new field innovations driven by 5G:

• Holographic architectural visualization – including mixed reality smart glasses that Taylor employees and clients can wear on site to render virtual models of buildings or elements of the construction process, such as holographic structural steel, framing or electrical schematics.
• 360-degree 8K streaming and QR code scanning via wireless cameras – enabling field workers to deploy digital sensing tracking – is said to improve risk management by automating the process of ensuring everyone completes safety training.
• Internet of Things (IoT) structural sensing – using smart sensors fixed to rebar and embedded in concrete to send data to the cloud, which can then be quickly and deeply analyzed, Taylor Construction can therefore determine if the concrete was poured correctly and track any movement of the concrete over time.
• Real-time Design Display – Allows field workers to make changes to digital blueprints in real time on a tablet and display them on a large monitor in the trailer.

This case study demonstrates that the future of enterprise-grade 5G has officially arrived in the construction industry and beyond. With the connection quality and speed of fiber broadband and the mobility and agility of wireless connectivity, it is clear that the transformative power of 5G is already a reality.

Innovation Platform

While 5G is enabling technological leaps at an even faster pace, the construction industry is still only scratching the surface of its full potential. Much like the innovations enabled by the power of 4G LTE, we don’t know how 5G will manifest in exciting new use cases in the future. But what we do know is that this future is bright.

It’s clear that 5G will improve productivity, safety, and compliance in construction and engineering. But this is by no means the end-all, be-all. Instead, 5G will be a catalyst for continuous improvement and innovation, helping to accelerate companies in construction and other industries toward future use cases.