5G for smart city advancements
‘Smart Cities’ are a difficult concept to imagine. The idea of an interconnected city whereby data and modern technology can be used to build a more sustainable, efficient human experience seems like something you would see in “The Jetsons”, rather than the foreseeable future. Yes, we may be a fair few years away from flying cars and Skypad Apartment complexes, but the developments of 5G networks may change our day-to-day lives forever.
Over four and a half years removed from Ericsson’s 5G demo, which boasted data upload speeds of 5 gigabits per second, news surrounding the development and installation of 5G networks began to resurface on a larger scale halfway through 2018. Due to wider implementations by 2022, the initial UK rollout per the government’s 5G strategy and data networks, is sitting somewhere between late 2019 and early 2020. But what does this all mean for us?
It’s Faster for Us
It has been well documented that modern tenants are becoming geared towards the ‘workplace as a service’ model of thinking, expecting their building to provide in some way towards them. After all, surveys have shown that the workplace environment can have a significant effect on a tenant’s physical and mental wellbeing. App-based approaches to property management can help in this regard by connecting occupants to the systems within their environment, but also to one another.
Elevating data exchange for Smart Systems
First and foremost, the obvious answer. Downloads will be much quicker, around ten times as fast as current 4G networks, with some predictions showing higher speeds. This means we could use 5G to download a 3D movie in just 30 seconds, rather than the current 360 seconds 4G networks offer. Convenient for those Netflix binges, yes, but how is this relevant to smart cities?
Internet of Things
The main appliance of 5G technology will be geared towards developments within the “Internet of Things” (IoT), the tag line associated with the mass exchange of data between “smart” electrical systems and devices.
The current 4G model lacks the necessary bandwidth needed to support more complex real-world applications of IoT, such as vehicle automation and multi-modal transport systems. 5G enables the capacity needed for the development of key IoT technologies and may affect all conceivable industries, from transport and PropTech to agriculture. With forecasts predicting the number of internet-connected devices to grow from over 26.6 billion today to around 75.5 billion by 2025, the ability for devices to communicate at a mass scale may well change the intelligence of modern buildings and cities at an unprecedented level.
The potential for 5G to change how we work, travel and live should be exciting for people no matter what job description they hold. This is made yet more exhilarating when we consider the types of software that are being developed that could correctly utilise it.
Looking to future-proof your office building in preparation for the 5G era? Smart Spaces is an innovative piece of smart building technology software, utilising data present within modern building systems to uplift the occupant experience. The IoT platform allows for intelligent BMS control and building automation, as well as connecting working communities together through a “Social Wall” and access to relevant local events and deals. The power is in your hands, as your building can communicate with you through our mobile platform. For more information or to request a demo, fill out our quick form online. Optionally, call directly on 020 7481 1655 or email.
