5G use cases: The Impact of 5G on the IoT

Thales is creating 5G solutions for tomorrow’s IoT

5G Technology and the IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) began with simple remote monitoring of things like vending machines and first-generation smart refrigerators.

Today it has moved on to fully connected cars, smart grids that span entire cities and countries, and telehealth for a new age of healthcare and wellness. By 2025, forecasts suggest as many as 75 billion IoT connected devices, nearly 3x the number in 2019. 

And new 5G networks are giving way to transformative IoT applications for many industries with plenty of innovative IoT use cases.

• Low latency and expanded networks mean 5G can reach 10 times more devices per square kilometre than 4G.
• Improved speeds are ten times faster than 4G.

The result?

It’s not just a better network; it’s an entirely NEW “cloud-native” network built from the ground up.

And while the IoT stands to benefit massively from this erupting technology, there is no denying that 5G capabilities demand solid groundwork and preparation for device makers.

5G Applications and use cases for the IoT 

Developers have imagined a new digital world :

• Where doctors can treat patients in rural areas remotely, even performing remote surgery,
• Where workers present media-rich presentations from home without interruption,
• Where autonomous driving has the potential to reduce accidents and traffic jams,
• Where smart grids eliminate brown and blackouts worldwide, 
• Where ubiquitous connected sensors assist vehicle parking and avoid collisions, monitor electrical systems, alert for conditions that could lead to fires, and monitor patient health from afar.

These innovations could help prevent devastating fires, improve health outcomes for patients lacking access to traditional healthcare and change auto travel.

Enterprises will be able to manage their data with network slicing for private networks, opening up new secure ways of data management, integrity and access. 

The power of the new 5G networks being rolled out today will enable these innovations and more, giving so many industries a leap forward in productivity and efficiency.

The challenge?

However, tens of billions of connected devices can expose an overwhelming number of vulnerabilities.

Connecting cars, water meters, appliances, and critical infrastructure like the electricity grid is different from connecting today’s smartphones.

The staggering amount of data requires worldwide regulations and secure data protection to ensure these future solutions do not present new threats. Some applications require low bandwidth and coverage in challenging installation situations, others ultra-high bandwidth.

Many solutions are designed to be in the field for decades and battery-powered, often required to withstand harsh environments. The right technology partners will be critical to leveraging 5G. 

Thales Will Help You Harness 5G’s Power and the IoT Promise

5G Solutions by Thales: Connect, Protect, Predict

• CONNECT and manage devices on the 5G network with resilient solutions and certified, reliable services.
• PROTECT devices, identity and data. Building a secure 5G network that guarantees privacy.
• PREDICT industry needs to build a resilient 5G network. Future-proof solutions to leverage today and prepare for tomorrow.

Thales has the right products to secure and optimise your next 5G solution:

MV31 Modem Card – Designed to optimise 5G enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Thales's award-winning Cinterion® MV31-W IoT modem card is ideal for industrial IoT applications. 

Hardware Security Modules (HSM) – Thales offers a dedicated crypto processor specifically designed to protect the crypto key lifecycle. Hardware security modules act as trust anchors to protect the crypto infrastructure, which is used in some of the world’s most security-conscious organisations, in a hardened, tamper-resistant device.   

High-Speed Encryption (HSE) solutions – As data is always in motion, securing it requires proven network encryption solutions. Thales provides a single platform to secure data in motion – from network traffic between data centres and headquarters to backup and recovery sites, on the physical premises or in the cloud. 

5G SIM products – The only solution to secure 5G networks, the Thales 5G SIM is tamper-proof, secure, and explicitly designed to enhance mobile broadband, massive IoT applications and critical communications.

SIM Over-The-Air (OTA) platform – Thales Cloud OTA enables remote and secure management of SIMs and eSIMs for seamless connectivity and services. Designed for optimum efficiency and the best MNO experience across all networks and channels (SMS, HTTP, NAS), the platform is built on open standards and is fully interoperable.

CipherTrust Manager key management – an industry-leading enterprise key management solution, Thales enables organisations to centrally manage encryption keys, provide granular access control and configure security policies.

Thales Alenia Space (non-terrestrial network services via 5G satellites) – With the help of 3GPP standards, an effort led by Thales Alenia Space with support from the European Space Agency and the European Commission, 5G can support satellite communications. These global standards and specifications make it possible to integrate communications satellites in 5G networks seamlessly. 

5G IoT modules, 5G modem cards and support: Thales supports creators at the forefront of technology

5G will be the engine of the digital economy and demands trusted partners to implement. The expanded network will offer more bandwidth for digital transactions and cover more people not able to rely on Internet access today. By 2025, there will be 50 times more digital interactions by consumers vs 2010.

Securing digital transactions and adhering to regulations worldwide will be crucial for all stakeholders. 

Digital security is in Thales’ DNA. 

Thales is leading the way in 5G solutions.

Thales's Cinterion® MV31-W IoT modem card delivers incredible high-performance 5G enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) for IoT applications such as industrial routers and gateways, digital signage, industrial computers, and tablets.

Award-winning 5G IoT Leadership: The best-in-class solution has been recognised with the 2020 IoT 5G Leadership Award and supports FR1 sub-6GHz and FR2 mmWave bands enabling groundbreaking data speeds plus fall-back to LTE Cat.20/Cat.13 and 3G networks. It provides excellent global coverage in urban areas and regions where 5G is still emerging.

What do these numbers mean?

5G networks can enable data transmission speeds to be reduced to a single millisecond.

Thales customer Peplink on 5G & the MV32

Thales is a world leader in data encryption. We work with 450 mobile network operators, and the top 5 cloud service providers trust Thales for cybersecurity solutions. 

Thales Secures the 5G Devices and the 5G Network.

5G is the first cellular generation to launch in the era of global cybercrime perpetrated by organised syndicates and even nation-states.

The virtual nature of the 5G network core increases the attack surface. Virtualisation also means that some data is no longer stored centrally but at the ‘edge.’ 5G also exponentially increases the number of connected devices needing protection.

Building protection against these threats from the very beginning is crucial. 

First: the Device. Thales was the first company to offer the 5G SIM, allowing MNOs to anonymise subscriber identities and securely swap the authentication algorithm in the SIM, thanks to key rotation management. It’s available in all form factors (removable SIM, M2M SIM, eSIM).

Second: the network itself. When a network resides in software, as is the case with virtualisation, there is a greater danger of cross-contamination and data leakage. Automation can propagate poor decisions, malware, leaked data, and increase vulnerabilities. A lot of 5G traffic will be at the network edge rather than the core. To mitigate these risks, Thales offers a range of products – from 5G-optimised modems and SIMs to key management and 5G satellites.

Thales protects both devices and networks.

Create your 5G IoT application now! 

The time is right to explore a switch to 5G connectivity, and Thales is here to help.

Thales has worked with 450 mobile network operators worldwide, protecting IoT applications from 2G and 3G to 4G LTE, LTE-M, NB-IoT and now, 5G. Thales has the products, services and expertise to help you leverage the power of 5G today and in the future.