IPmotion

What will actually happen when the 5th generation mobile networks are rolled out? First of all: 5G is not a simple update, but the number of mobile sites will increase by a factor of about ten, as the range decreases with increasing frequency. Massive investments are therefore necessary, in infrastructure alone.

But our idea of what 5G is for and about whom, as opposed to 3G (being switched off these days) and 4G (available for even longer), needs an update so that we can take advantage of the immense opportunities.That's because, in addition to more data throughput for viewing high-definition video on smartphones and lower runtime, companies can build networks themselves or through third parties and integrate operations securely: The communication of things with each other, the internet of things.

A tangible example of a smaller car manufacturer from Aachen in Germany can currently illustrate this: Mobile transport sleds and smart tools know what needs to go where and how it needs to be handled by being close to production materials. Simply put: In production, no screw is tightened with the wrong torque anymore, and assembly is possible without errors.

The 5G network provides enough reception for anything and everything via three dozen small cellular antennas in the 8,500-square-meter production hall and the almost equally large logistics hall. Network slicing creates a self-sufficient network exactly according to the requirements of speed, data throughput and coverage.

That's because, in addition to more data throughput for viewing high-definition video on smartphones and lower runtime, companies can build networks themselves or through third parties and integrate operations securely: The communication of things with each other, IoT.

A tangible example of a smaller car manufacturer from Aachen in Germany can currently illustrate this: Mobile transport sleds and smart tools know what needs to go where and how it needs to be handled by being close to production materials. Simply put: In production, no screw is tightened with the wrong torque anymore, and assembly is possible without errors.

The 5G network provides enough reception for anything and everything via three dozen small cellular antennas in the 8,500-square-meter production hall and the almost equally large logistics hall. Network slicing creates a self-sufficient network exactly according to the requirements of speed, data throughput and coverage. Communication between the machines is thus even faster, the digital penetration of the production processes higher and workflows even more efficient.

But other scenarios are also finally conceivable:Not just slow-moving tools on the production floor, but the interaction of highly mobile objects such as cars and trucks on busy routes like highways open up faster decision-making and access to aggregated data in data centers for better decision-making: Charge the battery and grab a coffee here, traffic jam ahead? Brake hard before a hilltop? Fully autonomous driving or synchronized vehicle platooning?

The latter topics may be the pigeon on the roof, while small and creative companies are more likely to have to hold the bird in the hand. The opportunity for SMEs therefore lies in bread-and-butter technologies such as compatibility, safety and simplification. Products today are not as different as they used to be, quality-assured production, use of standards and focus on the customer open up new perspectives.

In customer-oriented thinking, 5G can address f.e. problems of data protection in healthcare, it can improve data access to control centers or shock rooms in structured associations such as fire departments or rescue transport, which today is realized, if at all, via cellular WiFi relays. There, local 5G integration can prevent a variety of sensors, monitors and instruments from making mistakes: In anamnesis, the selection of the appropriate next contact, the end-to-end connection between patient and clinic or fire scene and management center, we can reduce complexity through communication and create not only the Internet of Things, but the Internet of Good Decisions.

A real reformation. We believe in it.