The digital love story continues. I believe that the IoT and 5G are the perfect couple this year because the Internet of Things (IoT) connects devices, buildings, machines, vehicles, and goods. Combined with the new 5G network, the result is a true digital love story.
It quickly becomes apparent why IoT and 5G are a great match: the sensors installed in the things require a network. And 5G, the new generation of mobile communications, always has the right transmission technology on hand for each IoT application. Rami Avidan, Head of IoT at Deutsche Telekom, is also fully aware of this: “The Internet of Things is dead without connectivity.” However, our 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile communications networks no longer meet the requirements. Special machine and sensor networks such as NarrowBand IoT or LTE-M as part of 5G are needed. They integrate sensors directly into the IoT.
“Love is in the air”
The Internet of Things generates a valuable benefit for all sectors. One example is the tracking of materials in the field of logistics: sensors and radio communications mean that goods stored on a pallet can be tracked throughout Europe. Shock sensors register if the pallet falls off a forklift truck. Temperature sensors measure if the goods have left the ideal temperature range while in transit. This prevents damage-related delivery delays and enables a fast damage assessment for the insurance company. Another example is the low cost tracker, which works in Germany as well as in Austria, the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
And in the retail segment, sensors monitor the cold chain of food. An alarm is triggered if the temperature of sensitive and quickly perishable food crosses the stipulated thresholds. This enables stores to prevent losses caused by perished goods and consequential damages.
Intelligent waste management
More and more cities and municipalities are using IoT and mobile communications to intelligently dispose of waste: for instance, the region of Bochum is currently equipping 10,000 glass containers with sensors. These sensors indirectly measure the fill level of each container via the vibration caused when the glass is thrown in. This information is used to optimize the route planning of the collection vehicles.
So, the IoT and 5G are my perfect couple for 2020! Thanks to them, the economy and society are both well-equipped for the digital future.
