Page 91 - SAMENA Trends - August 2019

ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS

ARTICLE

5G Reimagining the Next Level Smart City

5G opens up new use cases that, especially when

combined with artificial intelligence, will shape
the future of our world.

A city is only as smart as its connectivity will allow. While 4G has provided
a solid foundation for fledgling smart city initiatives across the region
and further afield, the next level smart city will only be possible with the
introduction of the next generation of connectivity: 5G. More than just an
enabler of smart cities as we currently know them, 5G opens up new use
cases that, especially when combined with artificial intelligence, will shape
the future of our world.

Connectivity is the lifeforce of a smart city, in which everything requires a
connection in order to sense, understand, and respond to the world around
it. This technology-enabled nervous system comprises digital solutions
across infrastructural platforms such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud,
artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. Together, these platforms constitute
the foundation of ubiquitous connectivity that a smart city requires – but
in order for many use cases to be adopted at mass scale, a low-latency
network that facilitates near instantaneous connection is also required. For
example IoV (Internet of Vehicle), as a part of mass autonomous vehicle
Safder Nazir adoption, or flight control of drones if the sky is full of them, in order to avoid
Regional Vice President, collisions.
Digital Industries Strategy
Huawei This is exactly what 5G can offer. With the ability to deliver data speeds of up
to 10 gigabytes per second, 5G is fast. To put that into perspective, on a 5G
network you can download a high definition movie onto your smartphone in
just two seconds. Now, imagine the possibilities for application in a smart
city.

Autonomous vehicles and smart mobility systems are some of the most
talked-about prospects of the connected future. Dubai, for example, is
pursuing this aggressively with its Dubai Autonomous Transportation
Strategy, through which the emirate aims to transform 25% of its total
transportation into autonomous mode by 2030. 5G will have a solid role to
play in making this vision a reality. When combined with AI, 5G will be a driving
force – no pun intended – in the realization of smart traffic management.
Not only will it connect autonomous vehicles with the world around them, it
will monitor traffic lights, flow of traffic, and built-in car navigation systems
to manage road safety and congestion, amongst other benefits.

There are myriad applications for 5G in a smart city, ensuring we build
our cities as 5G cities is key. Tomorrow’s world will leverage super-fast
connectivity to improve efficiencies beyond what we might imagine. 5G will
not only empower our cities, but our imaginations, as it opens up possibilities
that were previously only a dream.

91 AUGUST 2019