By John Mathew, CEO & Chief Technology Architect of Cavli Inc.
In the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem, the Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a cornerstone of global transformation, redefining how industries operate, innovate, and scale. In India alone, the IoT market is projected to reach $15 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 14% between 2024 and 2030, which is a testament to its surging relevance. However, the full potential of IoT hinges on a new level of connectivity, one that is faster, more reliable, and truly global. This is where 5G technology becomes the pivotal enabler.
More than just a faster network, 5G provides the necessary foundation for large-scale, mission-critical IoT deployments across borders. It powers ‘smart connectivity’—a future where devices, systems, and enterprises can interact seamlessly, irrespective of geographical limitations.
The Evolution of IoT and Its Current Limitations
Over the past decade, IoT has moved from early adoption to essential infrastructure across sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and urban development. Yet, limitations persist, namely, high latency, inconsistent bandwidth, and infrastructure fragmentation.
For instance, remote healthcare applications often face lag in transmitting critical patient data across borders, affecting diagnosis and treatment speed. Global logistics providers still struggle with fragmented network handoffs that compromise real-time visibility. In manufacturing, achieving synchronised operations across facilities remains a challenge. Traditional cellular networks, while pioneering, were never architected for the dynamic, high-density demands of modern IoT.
What 5G Brings to the Table
5G arrives as the catalyst that reimagines what’s possible for IoT:
- Ultra-low latency, crucial for real-time applications like remote surgeries and autonomous industrial robots.
- Massive device density, supporting up to a million connected devices per square kilometer, will power sprawling smart cities and dense industrial setups
- Superior speed and reliability, enabling mission-critical use cases in sectors like energy, defense, and transportation.
- Network slicing, allowing the creation of customised, isolated networks to cater to specific IoT requirements, from low-power agricultural sensors to high-speed autonomous fleets.
Complementing 5G, Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) brings compute power closer to end devices, further slashing latency and ensuring rapid decision-making for time-sensitive applications.
The integration of satellite-based 5G networks will also play a crucial role in extending IoT connectivity to remote and maritime regions, creating truly global coverage.
Cross-Border Implications of 5G-Powered IoT
5G’s borderless connectivity capabilities will transform several industries:
- Global Logistics: Real-time shipment tracking across continents, seamless customs clearances, and predictive rerouting based on dynamic conditions.
- Smart Cities: Shared air quality monitoring between neighboring countries, collaborative traffic optimisation, and harmonised disaster response networks.
- Healthcare: Remote surgeries powered by real-time robotics, international patient monitoring grids, and cross-border AI diagnostics.
- Agriculture: Environmental data exchange between nations to enhance precision farming, forecast yields, and manage climate challenges collaboratively.
Industry-Specific Transformations
The convergence of 5G and IoT is ushering in industry-defining innovations:
- Manufacturing: The rise of digital twins — real-time virtual replicas of physical assets — driven by live IoT data streams, enabling predictive maintenance and intelligent resource planning across global plants.
- Automotive: Connected vehicles and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems operating across countries, integrating navigation, safety, and traffic data.
- Retail: Cross-border inventory intelligence using IoT-enabled smart shelves and predictive analytics.
- Energy: Global, real-time grid coordination with enhanced resilience through IoT-enabled predictive failure detection.
Additionally, AIoT — the fusion of Artificial Intelligence and IoT — is becoming the standard. Decentralised AI-driven IoT systems enable local, faster decision-making without relying solely on cloud servers, unlocking unprecedented autonomy for critical operations.
The Role of Governments and Standardisation Bodies
For IoT to deliver on its full promise globally, policy and regulation must evolve in tandem with technology:
- Standardised protocols for device interoperability and cybersecurity frameworks.
- International cooperation on 5G spectrum harmonisation to enable true cross-border mobility.
- Quantum security models to protect increasingly sensitive IoT networks from future threats.
Organisations like the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and alliances like the 5G Infrastructure Association are laying the groundwork, but active collaboration between nations will be critical.
The Road Ahead: A Borderless, Smart Future
Looking ahead to 2030, the world will see hyper-connected, autonomous ecosystems where industries, cities, and citizens operate seamlessly across geographies. Cellular IoT connections alone are expected to grow at a CAGR of 15% between 2024 and 2030, reflecting the massive scale of transformation underway.
In India, the 5G technology market is projected to surge from $25.6 billion in 2024 to $159.1 billion by 2030, at a remarkable CAGR of 35.4%, setting the stage for unprecedented IoT expansion.
The future is not just faster or smarter; it is truly borderless. The organisations that embrace this shift now will be the architects of a new, interconnected world.