As 2021 winds to a close and 2022 is fast approaching, it’s a great opportunity to reflect on technology advancements that took place in 2021 and what might materialise in 2022. At KORE, we often refer to this next digital transformation as the “decade of IoT” that will be propelled forward by connectivity technologies, including 5G.
So many technology advancements are discussed when 5G is brought up, and we aim to take a look at those we anticipate seeing an uptick in 2022 as the 5G rollout matures and we continue to advance into the decade of IoT.
Private networks are those leveraged for the purpose of a single operator. Think in terms of a manufacturing organisation. If mission-critical operations rely on stable, consistent connectivity – where blips or fluctuation of bandwidth is unacceptable – then a private network would be an ideal choice.
Or if a healthcare application, like robotics in surgery, needs bandwidth but also a highly secure network then, once more, a private network would be a great bet.
These high-stakes use cases aren’t going to dominant the private network market, however. Logistics, university campuses, and large event venues such as stadiums stand to benefit from private networks. This technology isn’t unique to 5G and can be deployed leveraging 4G LTE and built for compatibility with 5G down the road.
With more digital integration into processes and the ability to more easily access network to dedicate it for private use, the anticipation is that private network deployment will increase in 2022.
One large area that will begin a large shift toward IoT is the supply chain and logistics industry. According to the Business Continuity Institute, 27.8 percent of organisations reported 20 or more supply chain disruptions in 2020. To put that into perspective, the 2019 report showed only 4.8 percent of organisations reporting the same number of disruptions.
While the contributing factors vary from the pandemic and workforce to a sharp increase in e-commerce, the underlying theme is that the way supply chains and logistics operate needs to migrate to a more agile approach.
With IoT logistics, data is collected and analysed in real-time to make informed decisions and assets are tracked granularly not just by location but also by condition. Widespread data aggregation across processes lays a solid foundation for enhanced technologies that strive off clean, valuable data, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. The ability to integrate automated guided vehicles (AGVs) on the warehouse floor, as well, helps reduce human error, fill in workforce gaps, and support safety.
One of the segments of the 5G era we discuss at KORE is Massive IoT – which is the proliferation of millions of sensors connected to the internet. This creates a wide ecosystem of connected devices that enable smart operations. Whether its 5G networks powering AGVs on the warehouse floor or low power wide area networks supporting lower complexity tracking sensors, the 5G era holds a lot of promise for digitising this vertical sector.
While many tremendous innovations will come from the 5G era and the decade of IoT, a measured approach that incorporates strong security is highly necessary. With manifold endpoints accessible through widespread IoT, it leaves a lot of opportunities for attacks.
At KORE, we share three keys to IoT security, which are prevention, detection, and management. Of course, prevention starts with having the correct security measures in place, and one very exciting innovation in security is IoT SAFE.
This is a GSMA initiative that uses the SIM card as a hardware root of trust for chip-to-cloud safety. More and more, the ability to secure at the device level helps builds security into IoT infrastructure from the ground up. The further into an IoT deployment – even when it starts with third-party devices – the harder it is to secure. With IoT SAFE, security is built into the hardware element and isn’t an add-in software or less-secure firmware.
This helps IoT providers, OEMs, and the end user by securing on the SIM and providing a common, secure API for communications, which is how data is protected from device to cloud.
To learn more about best practices for IoT in the 5G era, check out KORE expert Landon Garner in this recent podcast with Alynment. Or check out our exclusive ebook, "Next-Gen IoT: Emerging Connectivity Creates Lasting Viability".
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