To fully comprehend the potential of 5G-enabled IoT, it is essential to define its boundaries and explore the full breadth of its applications. The 5G IoT Market Scope is remarkably broad, touching nearly every aspect of the modern economy and society. This extensive scope is a primary reason why the market is projected to expand significantly, with its value forecasted to climb to USD 13.6 billion by 2035 on the back of a 7.06% annual growth rate. Unlike niche technologies, 5G IoT is a horizontal enabler, a foundational layer upon which a seemingly endless variety of vertical-specific solutions can be built. Its scope ranges from connecting billions of simple sensors to enabling the most demanding, mission-critical applications, demonstrating its unique versatility and far-reaching applicability.
The scope of the market is best understood through the lens of 5G’s three main service categories. The first is massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), which defines the scope of connecting a huge density of devices. This is the realm of "massive IoT," where applications involve collecting small amounts of data from a vast number of low-cost, long-life-battery sensors. The scope here includes smart cities (monitoring parking, lighting, and waste), smart agriculture (soil moisture and crop health sensors), smart metering for utilities (water, gas, and electricity), and large-scale environmental monitoring. This part of the market is characterized by scale and efficiency, enabling data-driven management of large, distributed systems in a cost-effective manner.
At the other end of the spectrum is Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), which defines the scope for "critical IoT" applications. Here, the priority is not the number of devices but the quality and speed of the connection. The scope of URLLC includes applications where failure or delay is not an option. This encompasses industrial automation, where 5G controls precision robotics and assembly lines in real-time. It is crucial for the automotive industry, enabling V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication to prevent collisions. It also powers remote surgery in healthcare and real-time control of drones for inspections and deliveries. This part of the scope pushes the boundaries of what is possible with wireless technology, enabling applications that require a level of performance comparable to a wired fiber optic connection.
Bridging these two extremes is enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), which extends the market's scope to high-throughput applications. While often associated with consumer smartphones, eMBB is vital for IoT use cases that involve high volumes of data. The scope here includes high-definition video surveillance for public safety and asset protection, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) for training and remote assistance, and in-vehicle infotainment systems. By providing fiber-like speeds wirelessly, eMBB allows for rich, immersive experiences and the transfer of large data files from mobile or remote IoT devices. Together, these three pillars—mMTC, URLLC, and eMBB—define the comprehensive and multifaceted scope of the 5G IoT market, ensuring its relevance across an incredibly diverse range of industries and use cases.
Explore More Like This in Our Regional Reports:
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek