The first commercial 5G mobile broadband networks are getting off the ground, and the first devices are coming to market. Now, industry leaders’ focus is shifting toward exploring what’s next. 5G Internet of Things (IoT) is the next major opportunity for the cellular industry. Juniper Research forecasts a 1,200% increase in low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) IoT connections by 2026. While 5G NR (New Radio) IoT standards are taking root, LTE IoT has built a strong foundation to support most connections.
5G IoT is composed of massive IoT and mission-critical services. It capitalizes on this foundation and takes performance to a new level. 5G allows a very high density of devices, ultralow latency and extreme reliability. LTE IoT comprises enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC, aka LTE-M) and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). It offers the best suite of technologies for LPWAN IoT applications and services. LTE IoT supports a broad range of IoT use cases. These include low-data-rate, latency-tolerant sensors and data-intensive mobile devices that support voice and require low latency (e.g., health care wearables and video monitors).These technologies are evolving and continuously improving performance, laying the foundation for 5G massive IoT. 5G New Radio (NR), the new radio interface for 5G, has in-band support for LTE and is fully backward compatible. Today’s LTE IoT devices will seamlessly transition as networks are upgraded to 5G NR.
