5G Effect on IIoT

It is estimated that by the year 2020, the number of devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) will exceed 20 billion! These are whopping numbers, and undoubtedly display strength on the part of developing technologies. But at the same time, it is becoming clearer that wireless mobile internet networks would have to be improved to ensure seamless performance of connected devices.

One of the newest solutions to dealing with the additional bandwidth demand is 5G communication technology. 5G has been under development for a couple of years now, and traces of its maturity have already been unveiled as part of test programs. Several countries have started drafting up plans for its wide-scale implementation, something that may become more apparent in the upcoming years.

How will the entry of 5G technology change Internet of Things and shape its future? Let’s look at some practical takeaways of this communication technology:

Size

Over the past couple of years, the size of Internet of Things has grown considerably, since more devices have become connected along with development of supplementary server-side architecture. 5G networks have the ability to transmit data at faster speeds, which would give more devices the ability to connect and transmit data between each other. Companies that operate multiple connected devices have always complained of issues pertaining to high latency. With 5G, these issues can disappear, and companies can add greater number of devices without worrying about overcrowding the network.

Power Consumption

Multiple connected devices, especially those installed in remote regions are limited by their battery storage systems’ capacities. One may think that 5G communication may drain batteries much faster. However, specific innovations have been made in this regard to tackle such issues. The Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) part of the 3GPP Release 13 focuses on optimization of narrower bandwidth for IoT applications. This allows connectivity to take place at lower power consumption levels, making scalability economically viable.

Data

The ability to share large volumes of data at faster speed may be the most profound effect 5G will have on Internet of Things. We are all aware of the capabilities of 4G and LTE, but 5G will take data transmission capabilities to another level, through advanced wireless communication methods such as MIMO. Multiple transmitters and receivers spread out over large distances would also deal with issues related to coverage while guaranteeing data transmission throughput does not take any hit.