AT&T brings 5G to Austin and Indianapolis

Mobile Operators 5g plan

(BI Intelligence)

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The wide variety of networks and standards connecting IoT devices has been a barrier to adoption and increased costs for providers.

But the deployment of 5G has the chance to help IoT providers clear this hurdle while reducing costs and allowing for a smoother implementation of IoT solutions. Engadget reports that AT&T will start the rollout the network in Austin and Indianapolis later this year, which represents one of the first opportunities to see if 5G can unify IoT networks around a single standard, which likely will occur if 5G debuts this year with no setbacks, as BI Intelligence predicts.

Currently many providers use several networks to deploy IoT solutions, creating fragmentation that can hold back adoption. A BI Intelligence survey of IoT executives found that Wi-Fi and traditional Cellular networks such as 4G LTE were cited as the top two networks IoT providers used in their solutions, but a variety of other networks such as low-power, wide-area networks (LPWANs) and Bluetooth, as well as more smart home-centric networks such as Zigbee and Z-Wave. This can increase costs and make some IoT solutions more difficult to manage.

But the following benefits of 5G could help mitigate some of this network fragmentation:

• Faster data transmissions. Engadget notes that initially the networks that AT&T is deploying in Indianapolis and Austin will be able to deliver speeds of at least 400 Mbps, significantly faster than 4G LTE. For example, Verizon’s 4G LTE networks can only run speeds of about five to 12 Mbps. With the ability to transmit data faster, faster real-time decisions on, for example, predictive maintenance, could be conducted.

• Wider geographic coverage. One of the drawbacks of using a traditional cellular network to connect IoT devices is that they cannot coverage a particularly large geographic area, which is why LPWANs have become popular for connecting IoT devices. 5G is expected to be able to cover close to the range of many LPWANs with fewer cellular towers, which would make it an ideal connectivity option for connected agricultural solutions that are spread across a wide geographic area, for example, since networking providers would not need to build as much infrastructure to cover the same area.

But 5G is still a long way from revolutionizing IoT networks. There is still no universal standard for 5G, which if crafted could also help standardize network usage within the IoT. Further, the necessary networking infrastructure must be built out and scaled up, which will take huge capital investment. Further, while 5G could help bring about more network standardization, it is not yet known whether providers and users will want to abandon their current networks, despite the apparent benefits of 5G.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is disrupting businesses, governments, and consumers and transforming how they interact with the world. Companies are going to spend almost $5 trillion on the IoT in the next five years — and the proliferation of connected devices and massive increase in data has started an analytical revolution.

To gain insight into this emerging trend, BI Intelligence conducted an exclusive Global IoT Executive Survey on the impact of the IoT on companies around the world. The study included over 500 respondents from a wide array of industries, including manufacturing, technology, and finance, with significant numbers of C-suite and director-level respondents.

Peter Newman, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has conducted an exclusive study with in-depth research into the field and created a detailed report on the IoT that describes the components that make up IoT ecosystem. We size the IoT market in terms of device installations and investment through 2021. And we examine the importance of IoT providers, the challenges they face, and what they do with the data they collect. Finally, we take a look at the opportunities, challenges, and barriers related to mass adoption of IoT devices among consumers, governments, and enterprises.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• We project that there will be a total of 22.5 billion IoT devices in 2021, up from 6.6 billion in 2016.

• We forecast there will be $4.8 trillion in aggregate IoT investment between 2016 and 2021.

• It highlights the opinions and experiences of IoT decision-makers on topics that include: drivers for adoption; major challenges and pain points; stages of adoption, deployment, and maturity of IoT implementations; investment in and utilization of devices, platforms, and services; the decision-making process; and forward- looking plans.

In full, the report:

• Provides a primer on the basics of the IoT ecosystem

• Offers forecasts for the IoT moving forward and highlights areas of interest in the coming years

• Looks at who is and is not adopting the IoT, and why

• Highlights drivers and challenges facing companies implementing IoT solutions

To get your copy of this invaluable guide to the IoT, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP

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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the IoT.

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