5G powered smart cities: How far are we really? Can 5G-powered cities become a reality, and if so, how far are we from achieving it?
W
ith the current rate of 5G implementation to every possible industry and sector, transforming a city into a smart city is very likely to happen, and might not be as far away as we think. Simple applications that require connectivity can be served by using a fiber network and a Wi-Fi router, with minimal special features required in the network. Telecommunications companies, serving as the primary connectivity providers for the city, tend to position smart cities solutions as original within their capabilities. As smart city applications begin to mature, they are more demanding of resilient, low-latency connectivity, which may be closer to the mark due to the 5G’s prowess to provide all the requirements.
Shirly Lim VIAVI
The widespread availability of new technologies is required to transform a normal city into a smart one to reach high levels of sustainable urban development and improve the quality of life for its people.
astonishing number of 75 billion. This goes to show that the fast rate of the 5G technology integration will make it sooner rather than later to achieve a proper smart city.
A smart city utilizes the Internet of Things (IoT) to collect real-time data, which is being used to better understand how demand patterns are constantly changing, and thus responds with faster and lower-cost solutions.
Immersive connectivity
Generally, the ecosystem of a digital city is designed to run on ICT frameworks that will connect several networks of a multitude of devices, such as mobile devices, sensors, connected cars, home appliances, and data centers. IoT trends also suggest that by 2025, the number of connected devices worldwide will rise to an
As we all know, 5G is the most immersive piece of network technology ever to exist, surpassing any kinds of previous wide-area wireless or mobile networks. 5G networks are denser than 4G networks and while they retain a similar distribution to 4G networks, 5G is equipped with intermediate antennas that persist and boost signals significantly, resulting in an extraordinary yield. One of the most powerful features 4G brings, is that it could support up to 2,000 devices per square km. However, 5G can support much
Smart city First, we must know what defines a smart city and all it entails. The European Commission defines a smart city as “a place where traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of digital and telecommunication technologies for the benefit of its inhabitants and business”.
The widespread availability of new technologies is required to transform a normal city into a smart one to reach high levels of sustainable urban development and improve the quality of life for its people
13 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
