How the One-Two Punch of 5G, IoT Pushes Edge Computing

Low latency is big business. The powerful pairing of IoT technology backed by 5G connection is expected to grow fast according to data released earlier this year. AP reports the 5G IoT market will grow at more than 50 percent annually to occupy $6.285 billion by 2025 – not a bad result for an industry threatening to break $700 million next year.

Clearly, everyone is talking about IoT and 5G – but the majority are missing key points in the discourse, like how faster connections will move users away from cloud computing and closer to edge computing and what such tech actually means for the average person.

5G IoT is expected to account for one-quarter of the more than 40 million connections by 2024 – opening potential for innovation and expansion of what exactly 5G can offer. This is what users should all be thinking about today.

There is a reason consumers, companies and techies are all very excited about the expansion to 5G networks around the world – speed. The big brother to 4G is lightning fast, opening up download and transfer possibilities like never before. For example, Deutsche Telekom recently tested a 5G network and recorded speeds of three gigabits per second. Under ideal conditions, those speeds are predicted to be able to reach 10 gigabits per second. For reference, the fastest mobile technology currently available peaks at 300 megabits per second.

That is fast – so fast that it is expected to shift what is possible with IoT devices. Connected devices like alarms, appliances, printers and televisions are taking over the homes of today, and with better speeds comes better response times. It all comes down to latency, and pundits predict 5G and IoT will develop concurrently and symbiotically to create a seamless connection between device and internet.

The potential for faster speeds than ever before translates into the need for better device linkage than ever before. Poor latency between device and client application could nullify any progression to worldwide network speeds, so configurations which preference peer-to-peer connections instead of those which divert through third-party cloud servers appear to be gaining traction alongside the rise of 5G. Similarly, the sheer speed potential of 5G is also forcing a rethink to customer storage as better download and upload possibilities allow for users to store their data closer to home.

Forget cloud servers owned by multinationals: Edge computing and storage brings information closer to the location of where it is needed. Better yet, it is tipped to increase privacy and security for the user and their files.

Technology has evolved over time from storing data on a central mainframe, then to personal computing, and later to cloud computing. Edge computing is the next logical step in this progression.

This next evolution is only possible because devices are stronger yet cheaper to produce.