5G – Use Cases That Are in Deployment And Likely To Emerge

The possibilities of applications of 5G in Enterprise as part of this transformation are tremendous. It provides superior advantages in capacity, latency, reliability, and security, which can more than makeup for the higher initial CAPEX.

By V&D Team

Digitization plays a key role in transforming business processes. Digitization in the recent past has been focused on moving to Cloud applications. But with that part being firmly established, the focus shifts to connecting more devices and users to enable new use-cases. These use cases will not be the domain of CSPs only, but will also need cross-organization support from device manufacturers, integrators, cloud service providers, industry, and governments. The scope of such use-cases spread across Enterprise, Production, Entertainment, Health, Transport, and Public Safety, to name a few.

The possibilities of applications of 5G in Enterprise as part of this transformation are tremendous. While 5G can be more expensive than other alternatives, it provides superior advantages in capacity, latency, reliability, and security, which can more than makeup for the higher initial CAPEX.

As an example, Volkswagen is testing the 5G capabilities for its factory automation goals. They have around 5000 robots in their plant at Wolfsburg, requiring secure-delay free transmission to control and monitor these. They have not found WLAN to be useful for this purpose and expect 5G to support this along with higher reliability and capacity. As another example, in Chile, copper mining company Codelco is running a 5G pilot. High-definition cameras transmit real-time video from the mine’s crushing area to its new Integrated Operations Center in Santiago, 1,500 kilometers away. Using a 5G network has increased the facility’s capacity tenfold to capture more data and improve big data applications. This allows Codelco to analyse waiting and material unloading times almost immediately to optimize processes.

Traditional fleet management systems could plot and track driving times and routes by having a physical device installed into each vehicle. These devices would then connect with an application that gave a fleet management team access to vehicle data and enable communication with the driver.

The future of factories brings to mind a zero-touch automation target based on mobile robots in production, autonomous vehicles in transportation and logistics, thousands of connected devices, AR/VR applications for service and maintenance technicians, and real-time monitoring of systems based on AI/ML. All these applications require high-precision reliability, extremely low latencies, and massive connectivity of industrial devices. Such industrial applications need 5G networks to deliver a highly automated factory.

Another industry that is ripe for disruption and which has not been part of the mobile operator’s business model so far is Gaming. As per a report from IAMAI, India offers a massive opportunity for mobile gaming and is going to be a $ 6-7 USD Bn market by 2025 growing at a CAGR of 35-40%.

While the Apple and Google Play Stores generate revenue for their Developers and themselves, the mobile operators have been acting as bit-pipe providers with little to gain from in terms of revenue, especially with unlimited usage making its way in recent years. Additionally, Gaming consoles for more intensive games have been the domain of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo and again the CSPs have been providing wired broadband-only.

But now with Smartphone devices becoming more and more powerful, the CSPs have the possibility to host games directly on their networks and allow their customers to stream directly to their devices from anywhere without having to download or own expensive Gaming Hardware.

But this is not possible with current network architectures and needs the full power of 5G high capacity, low-latency, edge cloud, and network slicing to enable a premium subscription model for Gaming-from-anywhere using any device.

In September, Airtel conducted a Cloud Gaming trial on 5G, where the test network delivered speeds more than 1 Gbps and latency in the range of 10 milliseconds. In real networks, however, latency holds to key to lag-free performance as milliseconds can make the difference between winning and losing in a multi-player environment. This requires investments into Edge Cloud data centers, partnerships with Game Developers, Transport Network evolution, and a Billing & Charging solution that supports such a subscription service.

Another use case that requires the high-end capabilities of 5G is Healthcare. One of the most challenging problems to solve in India is the severe shortage of trained manpower in the medical profession, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, and primary healthcare workers. The situation is alarming in rural areas, where almost 66 percent of India’s population resides.

One of the most challenging problems to solve in India is the severe shortage of trained manpower in the medical profession, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, and primary healthcare workers. 5G can help bridge this gap by enabling remote healthcare.

The doctor-to-patient ratio remains abysmally low, which is merely 0.9 doctors per 1,000 people. This is compared to the World Health Organisation (WHO) world average of 1.8 doctors per 1,000 people. One of the fastest ways to achieve this is to enable remote healthcare diagnosis and increase the reach of doctors. Vi, in India, has run trials on this model using 5G in mid-band and mmWave spectrum last year. Based on the high data speed, low latency, and reliability of 5G, it was possible for a doctor located in an urban center to carry out an ultrasound scan on a patient who is in a remote rural location.

When we talk about 5G in the automotive space, we immediately think about driverless cars and their implications on employment and road safety. Although that may also be an outcome eventually, it is highly unlikely to make its way onto Indian roads soon. On the other hand, fleet operators can benefit immediately from 5G. Traditional fleet management systems could plot and track driving times and routes by having a physical device installed into each vehicle. These devices would then connect with an application that gave a fleet management team access to vehicle data and enable communication with the driver. With 5G solutions, additional functionality can be enabled, such as live driver training, and dynamic rerouting of vehicles based on real-time traffic and weather conditions.

5G connectivity could allow companies to gain insights into metrics such as driver behavior, optimal routes, and fuel efficiency. By installing intelligent sensors and onboard computers that monitor and transmit location, speed, fuel usage, and component wear and tear, overall operational efficiency can be improved.

Another potential 5G use case is platooning, where trucks travel on a highway with vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications and autonomous technology maintaining a fixed gap between them. Further, with e-commerce sales rising dramatically during the pandemic, the means of tracking and delivering goods to customers will require continuous improvements. This provides yet another opportunity for 5G to step in and make the process more efficient.

Energy generation and transmission are experiencing growth in several ways. The power sector in India is forecasted to attract investments worth $128.24-135.37 bn between FY19-23. There are also global commitments to take on corporate social responsibility and sustainable development within the energy industry. The Indian Government is encouraging and stimulating the adoption of clean energy generation and consumption. The country has set an ambitious target to achieve a capacity of 175 GW worth of renewable energy by the end of 2022, which expands to 450 GW by 2030.

This is the world’s largest expansion plan is in renewable energy. Such investments will also require increased efficiency and reduced costs, through remote monitoring and control. CSPs can support this transformation through 5G connectivity and features that enable cellular push-to-video for remote monitoring of faults and repairs, grid voltage monitoring, and remote-controlled wind farms that span large coverage areas.

In India, CSPs are working with a diverse partner ecosystem to test 5G use-cases. Airtel is working with leading companies such as Accenture, AWS, CISCO, Ericsson, Google Cloud, Nokia, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Apollo Hospitals, Flipkart, and several leading manufacturing companies to test 5G based solutions.

Vi has partnered with vendors like Ericsson and Nokia along with Indian startups and ecosystem players including Tweek Labs, L&T Smart World & Communication, Athonet, and Vizzbee. Vi has demonstrated various 5G use-cases including cloud gaming, industry 4.0, smart cities, smart healthcare, smart workplace, smart education, smart agriculture, and more.

Not to be left behind, Cloud Providers such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud also see the Private Wireless Networks as a key business opportunity. Recently, AWS has offered a preview of their 5G for Enterprise plans. They want to simplify the process of setting up a 5G private network and with a few clicks on its website, the Enterprise (in the US only for the moment) can order all the AWS Private 5G hardware (including SIM cards) and software needed to deploy a private cellular network and connect devices to their applications. As per the current information on their website, it is possible to order the hardware that runs the radio and mobile core software (Core) network functionality, servers for on-premises operation, small-cell radio units for desired coverage, and subscriber identity modules (SIM cards) to insert into devices. All components come preconfigured and can be operational within minutes of powering up. By default, AWS Private 5G uses a shared spectrum like Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) in the US.

India needs to encourage a strong ecosystem of start-ups, HW manufacturers, and SW development centers along with up-skilling of its workforce to enable a quick and smooth transition to 5G powered networks that aim to benefit the society through a multitude of never seen before use-cases.

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