Introduction of 5G Technology And Its Impact on IoT

Have you ever wondered how autonomous vehicles communicate with each other in real-time? Or how do smart cities manage thousands of connected devices simultaneously? The answer lies in the powerful combination of 5G technology and IoT.

The Global 5G subscription is predicted to reach 6.3 billion, making up 67 percent of total mobile subscriptions in 2030 
—Ericsson Mobile Subscriptions Outlook

The fusion of 5G and IoT represents not just incremental improvement—but a paradigm shift that reshapes our digital landscape. Today, we are embracing the 5th generation of cellular network connectivity. It has been a game changer in the connectivity domain. With radical improvements over 4G LTE in bandwidth, latency, reliability, and connection density, 5G networks unlock transformative possibilities for connecting billions of IoT sensors, connected devices, and industrial machines. The evolution of 5G has impacted diverse IoT applications ranging from smart cities, autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, healthcare, and more.

What is the 5th Generation Cellular Network?

The 5th generation cellular network, or 5G, is the latest global wireless standard, designed to deliver ultra-fast data speeds, low latency, high reliability, and support for massive device connectivity. It builds upon previous generations (1G to 4G) by enabling new IoT use cases and immersive AR/VR experiences.

5G is a multi-service architecture defined by 3GPP standards, supporting Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC). It operates over a wide range of frequency bands—from Sub-6 GHz (FR1) to millimeter-wave (FR2)—and uses advanced technologies like network slicing, beamforming, and 5G Massive MIMO to ensure optimal performance for diverse applications.

Key Features of 5G Technology

Ultra-Low Latency

• 5G drastically reduces latency to as low as 1 millisecond, compared to 20–50 ms in 4G LTE.
• Critical for real-time applications such as autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, and remote medical procedures.

Massive Bandwidth

• It offers peak data speeds between 10 to 20 Gbps, significantly outpacing 4G's 1 Gbps range.
• It enables high-throughput applications like 8K video streaming and large-scale data transfers.

Enhanced Reliability

• It is designed for ultra-reliable communication, ensuring stable and uninterrupted connectivity.
• Essential for mission-critical services in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and public safety.

Wider Channel Bandwidth

• It utilizes channels from 100 MHz to 400 MHz (vs. 5–20 MHz in 4G) for significantly higher data capacity.
• It facilitates multi-Gbps throughput even in dense urban environments.

Massive MIMO & Beamforming

• It employs several antennas at the base station to increase spectral efficiency and network capacity.
• Beamforming directs focused signal beams to users, boosting speed, range, and spectral efficiency.

Advanced Modulation & Waveforms

• It uses higher-order modulation schemes (e.g., 256-QAM or more) to squeeze more data into each hertz of bandwidth.
• It introduces flexible numerologies, new OFDM-based waveforms, and TDD/FDD frame structures for adaptable performance.

Network Slicing

• It enables the segmentation of the network into isolated "slices" for specific use cases (e.g., IoT, AR/VR, autonomous driving).
• Each slice can have tailored performance characteristics, security policies, and QoS levels.

Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC)

• It brings computation and storage closer to the user or device, reducing backhaul latency and improving real-time processing.
• Edge computing is vital for smart manufacturing, connected vehicles, and immersive media.

Service-Based Architecture (SBA)

• A cloud-native, modular core network design where network functions are deployed as services.
• It improves agility, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Dual Connectivity

• Allows simultaneous connection to 4G LTE and 5G networks, ensuring seamless handover and improved performance during migration phases.

Granular Quality of Service (QoS) Control

• It enables precise network traffic management based on application needs—supporting priority handling, latency, and bandwidth.

Millimeter Wave (mmWave) & Sub-6 GHz Spectrum

• mmWave (FR2) enables ultra-fast speeds over short distances using frequencies above 24 GHz.
• Sub-6 GHz (FR1) offers wider coverage with decent speeds at frequencies below 6GHz—ideal for broader deployments.

Energy Efficiency

• Optimized signaling and sleep modes for battery-powered connected devices for longer battery life.

Support for Massive IoT

• Designed to handle 1 million+ devices per square kilometer, accommodating the explosion of connected IoT sensors and devices in smart cities and industrial automation.

What is the Internet of Things?

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of physical devices, vehicles, appliances, machines, and other objects embedded with sensors, software, and connectivity technologies that enable them to collect, exchange, and act on data—often autonomously or semi-autonomously.

In simpler terms, IoT connects the digital and physical worlds, allowing objects to "talk" to each other and make intelligent decisions based on real-time data, without human intervention.

Key Components of an IoT Ecosystem

An IoT system relies on several interconnected components to function effectively.

Sensors and Actuators

• Sensors gather data from the environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, motion, light, pressure).
• Actuators respond to control signals by performing physical actions—like turning a valve, adjusting a motor, or triggering an alarm.

Connectivity

Devices communicate using various wired or wireless communication technologies such as:

• Cellular (5G, LTE-M, NB-IoT)
• Wi-Fi
• LoRaWAN
• Bluetooth/BLE
• Ethernet

The choice of IoT connectivity modules affects power consumption, range, data rate, and scalability.

IoT Protocol Stack

IoT devices use a layered protocol architecture for seamless and secure data transmission:

• Application Layer: MQTT, CoAP, HTTP/HTTPS
• Transport Layer: TCP/UDP
• Network Layer: IPv4/IPv6, 6LoWPAN
• Link Layer: MAC protocols over LTE, Wi-Fi, LoRa, BLE
• Physical Layer: Depends on the medium—RF, optical, wired

Edge Devices and Gateways

• Edge Devices are local processing units that handle real-time data near the source (e.g., microcontrollers, embedded systems).
• Gateways bridge IoT devices with the cloud, and handle protocol translation, local processing, and security.

User Interfaces (UI)

• Dashboards, mobile apps, or APIs provide users with access to device data, configuration settings, and alerts.
• Often integrated with platforms like Cavli Hubble for real-time visualization and remote management.

Cloud & Analytics Platforms

• Cloud platforms store, process, and analyze massive amounts of IoT data.
• It includes AI/ML-driven analytics for insights, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance.

Security Systems

It is essential to protect data, devices, and networks.

• Encryption (TLS, DTLS)
• Authentication & Authorization
• Secure Boot & Firmware Updates
• Firewall & Intrusion Detection
• eSIM & Secure Element (SE) Integration

The effectiveness of an IoT deployment depends on how well these components work together—delivering reliability, scalability, and security across the entire device lifecycle.

The Impact of 5G on IoT

Enhanced Capabilities

5G IoT connectivity supports up to 1 million devices per square kilometer, a tenfold increase over 4G. With ultra-low latency of 1 millisecond (theoretical minimum), it enables real-time applications, including autonomous vehicles, remote surgery, and more. 5G technology has a peak data rate of 20 Gbps to accommodate bandwidth-intensive IoT applications like 4K video surveillance and complex sensor arrays. Additionally, network slicing creates customized virtual networks with guaranteed performance levels for diverse IoT applications operating simultaneously.

Economical and Operational Impacts

Network slicing and network function virtualization (NFV) are core features of 5G NR in standalone deployment that significantly reduce infrastructure costs, lowering the per-device expense for large-scale deployments. Integrated edge computing capabilities minimize cloud transmission costs by processing data closer to devices while enhancing security and responsiveness. The introduction of 5G RedCap provides a balanced option for mid-tier IoT applications, optimizing costs and energy consumption for devices that don't require full 5G capabilities.

Transformative Approach

5G enables transformative business models that can deploy comprehensive sensor networks that employ digital twins and predictive models for manufacturing, infrastructure, and urban environments. Integrating 5G with satellite IoT networks extends capabilities to remote regions, supporting applications like precision agriculture and global asset tracking. Most significantly, 5G removes connectivity constraints as a limiting factor for innovation.

Understanding 5G Frequency Bands

5G networks operate across multiple frequency bands, each with distinct characteristics that make them suitable for different applications. These frequency bands fall into two main categories defined by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project):

Frequency Range 1 (FR1)

The frequency band from 1 GHz to 6 GHz is known as Sub-6 GHz. FR1 covers frequencies from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz and includes:

• Low-band (1 GHz): These frequencies, including 600, 700, and 850 MHz bands, provide excellent coverage over long distances and superior building penetration. While offering the widest coverage area, they deliver modest capacity and speed improvements over 4G. These bands are ideal for nationwide coverage and rural deployments.

   

• Mid-band (1-6 GHz): Often called the "sweet spot" for 5G, bands like 2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz (C-band), and 3.7-3.98 GHz offer a balanced combination of coverage and capacity. These frequencies provide significant speed improvements over 4G while still covering reasonable distances. They're particularly valuable for suburban and urban deployments.

The Sub-6 GHz spectrum is widely deployed globally, with bands like n78 (3.4-3.8 GHz) being among the most commonly used internationally, though specific allocations vary by country and region.

Frequency Range 2 (FR2)

FR2 band is also called millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. FR2 encompasses the higher frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 71 GHz, including:

• 24-28 GHz bands: Used in many early mmWave deployments
• 37-43.5 GHz bands: Offering additional capacity where needed
• 66-71 GHz bands: Reserved for future expansion

These mmWave frequencies deliver extraordinary bandwidth and ultra-high speeds (potentially multiple gigabits per second) but have a limited range—typically just a few hundred meters—and poor penetration through buildings, foliage, and even rain. They're primarily deployed in dense urban areas, venues, and specific locations where extreme capacity is needed.

Learn more about 5G frequency bands from our blog on 5G mmWave and Sub-6 GHz.

5G Frequency Bands Used by Major Operators Across the World