What is in 5G for IoT ?

What was already available in 4G for IoT ?

• NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT): Low data rate, ultra-low power consumption, and deep indoor coverage. while it was enabling a lot of power saving for the device battery, it was suffering from limited mobility thus moving devices would have suffered the problem of reconnecting to the network because there were no smooth handover between cells (telecom towers).
• LTE-M (LTE-MTC): Medium data rate and hence low latency and medium power efficiency as it is less efficient than NB-IoT.

What is new in 5G for IoT ?

5G networks are supporting the IoT technologies previously introduced in 4G. 5G introduced NR (New Radio) and that enabled several key advantages for IoT. In this article, i will summarize these advantages, its benefits, challenges, mitigations , its future directions and compare it to 4G.

You can always find updated details and more information in my ongoing and continuously updated article titled IoT Value Chain

1. Increased Capacity: ?

Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC): 5G can handle a massive number of connected devices simultaneously. This is crucial for IoT applications where a large number of sensors, actuators, and other devices need to be connected to the network. ?a 5G cell can handle up to 1 Million device per square kilometer and that is mainly to handle situations like large events (i.e. an important football match in a stadium) where too many devices will be existing in the same place with multiple devices with each attendee (phone, watch, wearables, implanted body devices, etc.).

2. Lower Latency:

Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC): 5G offers significantly lower latency compared to previous generations. This is essential for real-time applications like remote control, autonomous vehicles, and industrial automation. ?

3. Improved Reliability:

5G provides higher reliability and availability, ensuring that IoT devices can communicate reliably even in challenging environments. This is critical for applications like critical infrastructure monitoring and healthcare. ?

4. Enhanced Security:

5G incorporates advanced security features to protect IoT devices and data. This is essential for securing sensitive data and preventing cyberattacks. ?

5. Energy Efficiency:

5G supports various power-saving modes, allowing IoT devices to operate for longer periods on battery power. This is important for battery-powered devices like sensors and wearables. ?

Specific 5G Technologies for IoT:

• NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks): NTN is a new technology being integrated into 5G networks to provide connectivity in remote or underserved areas through satellites, balloons or even drones as base stations to extend cellular network coverage beyond traditional terrestrial infrastructure to provide global coverage, reaching areas that are difficult or impossible to serve with traditional terrestrial networks.
• Passive IoT: Passive IoT is a groundbreaking technology that allows devices to operate without batteries by harvesting energy from their surroundings, such as radio waves. This revolutionary concept is set to be further enhanced and practically introduced in 5G Advanced (5.5 G).
• 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability): 5G RedCap Offers a balance between performance and power efficiency, making it suitable for a wide range of IoT applications.

NTN

Key features of NTN:

• Satellite-based connectivity: NTN leverages satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), or geostationary orbit (GEO) to provide coverage.
• Seamless integration with terrestrial networks: NTN seamlessly integrates with terrestrial 5G networks, enabling users to roam between terrestrial and satellite networks without interruption.
• Improved coverage: NTN can provide connectivity in areas with limited or no terrestrial network coverage, such as rural areas, remote islands, and maritime regions.
• Enhanced reliability: NTN can provide reliable connectivity during natural disasters or other events that disrupt terrestrial networks.
• Support for various IoT applications: NTN can support a wide range of IoT applications, including remote sensing, agriculture, and disaster response.

Challenges and limitations facing NTN implementation and their mitigation:

1. Latency and Signal Delay: Satellite signals experience delays due to distance and the mitigation is to focus on LEO satellites as it is closer to terrestrial networks.

2. Handover and Mobility Management: Seamless transitions between satellite and terrestrial networks especially with motion speed of LEO satellites and the mitigation is to use LEO satellite constellation and satellite to satellite communication within the same constellation for remote areas utilize communication from LEO to MEO and GEO satellites to manage mobility.

3. Regulatory Frameworks: before 5G satellites coverage was controlled by regulatory authorities by controlling import/customs for the special handset/receiver tools/antenna required for receiving satellite communication but in 5G wireless communication will be provided from satellites to standard 5G handsets thus regulatory authorities will have no control over these satellite providers nor on the handsets as handsets will be already in the hand of the consumer for use with licensed terristatial 5G and the mitigation is to consider NTN coverage as roaming network outside the license network borders.

Future Directions in NTN implementation

1. Integration with 6G: Future network generations will leverage NTN capabilities.

2. Advanced Satellite Constellations: Larger, more sophisticated satellite networks for inter constellation communication and constellation to constellation communication.

3. Quantum Computing Resistance: Implementing/innovating secure communication protocols that are harder to manipulate/decrypt by quantum computers that would be widely available in the future.

4. Expanded Use Cases: Exploring new applications in areas like autonomous vehicles that require more traffic and throughput.

Passive IoT

Key characteristics of Passive IoT:

Energy Harvesting: 5G Advanced networks can emit stronger radio signals, providing more energy for passive devices to harvest it as available ambient RF energy.

Advanced signal processing techniques can optimize energy transfer, maximizing the efficiency of energy harvesting.

No active transmission: Devices reflect or modulate existing signals.

Low cost: Simple, low-power designs are low cost devices compared to standard 5G devices.

Long lifespan: No battery replacement needed because there should be no battery in these devices.

Challenges and limitations facing Passive IoT implementation and their mitigation:

The main challenge is the high power consumption required in the base stations/towers to emit power to larger areas to reach devices located away from the base station.

The mitigation is a set/group of design requirements

1. Focus on limited distance up to 100m away from the base station
2. Use a moving Radar-based IoT to focus/concentrate the signals to reach devices in a specific direction.
3. Ambient Backscatter where devices rectenna can reflect, modulate and harnesses ambient RF energy or existing RF signals emitted from other active devices and/or other wireless technologies present in the surrounding environment.

Future Directions in Passive IoT:

1. Improved sensitivity: Advanced receiver designs in both the base station and the device rectenna

2. Increased range: Beamforming and directional antennas.

3. Standardization: Industry-wide standards.

4. Integration with 6G: Next-generation IoT capabilities.

5G RedCap (Reduced Capabilities)

Key characteristics of 5G RedCap:

• Lower Complexity and cost: RedCap devices are designed to have simpler communication modules and more cost-effective than traditional 5G devices that utilizes Half-duplex sequential transmission and reception.
• Reduced Power Consumption: Optimized for low-power applications, making it suitable for battery-powered devices. ?
• Enhanced Data Rates: Offers higher data rates than traditional 4G LTE, enabling more advanced IoT applications. Up to 10 Mbps (downlink) and 1 Mbps (uplink)
• Improved Latency: Lower latency compared to 4G LTE, making it suitable for real-time applications like wearables, industrial sensors, and smart meters.

Comparison between IoT in 5G and IoT in 4G when it comes to supported technology and power consumption

The needs of the use case defines which technology is more suitable.

Always select the IoT technology based on the use case requirements for power consumption and data rates assuming all technologies are available in the geographical area of the customers' devices.

5G IoT technologies have been introduced in 3GPP release 15 while 4G IoT technologies has been introduced in 3GPP release 13.

Respective references