FUTURE OF WORK :
IOT AND 5G SET TO TRANSFORM INDUSTRIES
IoT and 5G Set to Transform Industries
By Chris Chan , 5G Solutions Delivery Lead , StarHub Ltd
Modern businesses require extensive analysis of customer preferences and workflows to ensure differentiated offerings , an area where the Internet of Things ( IoT ) offers significant benefits . Yet , Chris ' experience is that connectivity often constrains businesses from realising IoT ' s full potential .
Real-time consignment tracking in shipping is an ideal business requirement to illustrate this issue . IoT can streamline sourcing , legal compliance requirements , and route planning across the entire supply chain in such scenarios . In the real world , such deployments face network blackspots in warehouses and transit routes . 5G technology offers a way out in such environments with its promise of ultra-low latency , and ever-present coverage .
IoT leverages 5G ’ s ever-present connectivity to drive higher levels of corporate efficiency , innovation and revenue creation . Its capability to support up to a million devices per square kilometre elevates Internet ’ s ‘ interconnected ’ nature to that of a ' massively connected ' phase .
Connectivity everywhere era
We are in the midst of an IoT-driven transformation backed by Artificial Intelligence ( AI ), 5G connectivity and Big Data . Industry researcher IDC ’ s estimates indicate that 55.7 Billion IoT devices will be in use worldwide by
2025 .
The ‘ Future of Work ’ centres around intelligence driven by IoT devices , data , analytics and low latency connectivity . For example , businesses leverage options like StarHub ’ s IoT as a service for faster rollouts . Managed services reduce IoT ecosystem complexity for our customers , as it enables seamless implementation and management .
Subscription-based services like StarHub ’ s 5G IoT Platform deliver smart building maintenance strategies that leads to cost optimisation and revenues . Building owners can provide differentiation in services , decrease overheads and boost operational efficiency with IoT . For example , IoT as a Service consolidates management data from the facility ’ s distributed IoT systems over the network ( 5G ) to be monitored using a single dashboard . These include parameters like electricity consumption , HVAC , trash bin usage , washroom cleanliness , footfalls and more .
Contextual information helps facility managers perform root cause analysis ,
fix issues and conduct preventive maintenance that ensure ideal service delivery . More importantly , IoT strengthens capabilities such as social distancing and contact tracing in the new normal .
In our modern-day context , utilising the power of IoT and the next generation of 5G technology is key for businesses that strive to reach customers everywhere , every time .