5G IoT may be the next opportunity

Now that 5G mobile services have begun to enter the mainstream, many people want to know what the next step for this technology will be. Unfortunately, although there are still many people and companies talking about some absurd applications that were originally promised for 5G (such as remote robotic surgery...), more pragmatic people focus on applications that provide real-world potential and value.

Recently, many people are paying attention to the commercial applications of 5G. The OnSite5G private network service launched by Verizon last week is a good example. In addition, we are beginning to see that services built around Internet of Things (IoT) applications running on 5G networks are gradually being put in place. Early efforts are aimed at companies, but there are signs that consumers are also possible.

There are several very different factors driving this. First of all, the core technology elements and product components have begun to have an impact. For example, the wireless module provider SierraWireless just announced that its credit card-sized EM91905GNR component is now certified and can run on T-Mobile's 5G network in the United States and Docomo's 5G network in Japan. (This module has been certified and can run on AT&T's FirstNet and Verizon's 5G networks.). The actual impact of this news is that a variety of industrial and commercial devices can begin to utilize these networks by simply plugging the modules into a standard M.2 connection.

This sounds simple, but it is actually very important, because it means that equipment and equipment manufacturers do not have to deal with technical challenges, regulatory issues, and operator certifications in order to achieve 5G connectivity. Even better, the EM9190 supports CBRS (for more information, see "Spectrum sharing technologies such as CBRS are the key to a stronger wireless network"). This technology is becoming more and more widespread, and is considering building a dedicated cell Companies with 5G (and LTE) networks provide a very interesting opportunity.



Speaking of new developments in wireless technology, several other factors driving the development of the 5G Internet of Things include the recent and upcoming additions of 5G specifications, and the decline of some older wireless technologies such as 2G and 3G. In terms of new features, last year's 3GPPRelease16 document (for more information, see "Attention, 5G is coming, the second stage") includes the final elements required to complete URLLC (ultra-reliable low-latency communication). URLLC was originally promised as one of the main differences between 5G and 4G, it guarantees a delay of 1 millisecond and below and a reliability of 5 nines (99.999%). However, the real realization of this technology has just begun to appear. In view of its perfect applicability to industrial IoT applications, the "coming" of URLLC is arousing more interest in these fields.

On the consumer side, a technology called NRLight (or Lite) that is currently being planned to be included in the upcoming 3GPP release 17 documents looks very promising. NRLight is essentially a more powerful 5G network binding alternative to Bluetooth, designed to support low-latency, high-security and cloud-driven applications for cellular connections, without the high-power requirements of mature 5G modems. In fact, this means that we can see things like AR headsets that connect to 5G-connected smartphones and use NRLight for cloud connections, while being more energy-efficient and battery-efficient. Find more information about NRLight in these and other applications that require extremely low power in 2022.


At the other end of the spectrum, some operators have begun to "reconfigure" the radio spectrum they currently use to transmit 2G and 3G services. In other words, they will shut down these networks in order to reuse these frequencies to provide more 5G services. The problem is that many existing IoT applications are using these older networks because they are very suitable for the lower data rates used by most IoT devices. For example, in addition to industrial applications, Amazon's Kindle book reader has been using the old-fashioned 3G network for cryptographic delivery of e-books.

Finally, the overall focus on connectivity, as well as the transformations that companies apply to their operations due to the focus on connectivity, have also had a realistic impact on the Internet of Things. Admittedly, this may be more due to the impact of the pandemic than the launch of 5G, but the timing of these efforts, coupled with the increasing importance of 5G, is undoubtedly combining 5G and the Internet of Things faster than in other cases.

As the early adopters of the Internet of Things know—in many cases, a difficult process—there are still several challenges in bringing value-driven, cost- or time-saving IoT applications to life. But it is clear that technological development, increasing support from operators and advances in standards are pushing companies into an interesting new era of 5G-based Internet of Things.

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