5G is believed to reshape the way our cities work. This new tech is said to transform our digital world and simultaneously promise to supercharge the Internet of Things (IoT) as well as usher in a new era of smart cities. Let us find out what a smart city is all about.
According to the European Commission, a smart city is a place where technology improves traditional services for the benefit of residents and businesses. It is like giving our cities a digital upgrade. Smart cities use the Internet of Things (IoT) to gather real-time data, understand changing demands and respond quickly with cost-effective solutions.
By 2025, about 75 billion connected devices are projected to populate the globe. However, for this vision to materialize seamlessly, we require an IoT standard capable of delivering extended battery life, wider coverage and efficient connectivity for millions of devices.
4G primarily prioritized mobile data while 5G has been crafted to overcome these constraints. It offers swifter speeds, minimal latency and accommodates an abundance of devices. With the new tech, information practically zips in real-time, slashing latency to under 10 milliseconds and occasionally less than 1 millisecond. This translates into your devices communicating with exceptional speed and efficiency.
This low latency and high device capacity will transform our cities. 5G can handle up to a million simultaneous connections in every square kilometer. This means more devices, sensors and objects can gather and share information. It is not just about your phone anymore. It is about smart streetlights, efficient parking, managing crowds, responding to emergencies and monitoring air quality.
Smart cities are no longer a futuristic dream but it is a practical reality. They promise improved quality of life through savings in traffic time, faster emergency responses, reduced healthcare costs, efficient water use, less waste and cleaner air.