July/August 2019 I 11
Security and Safety IoT Path Fulfilled: 5G
The reason why there is so much emphasis on IoT is the
diminishing size and cost of sensor technologies; the
same sensor data may be used differently, depending
on the industry.
With the recent California Camp Fire, a mega-fire event
comprised of numerous city-killing individual fires, the
need for massive IoT, early detection systems, communica-
tions resiliency for first responders and transportation
and evacuation management has been magnified.
The case for 5G’s network slicing and differentiation
of sensors validates that all use cases are not equal.
Massive IoT (referring to applications that are less latency
sensitive and have relatively low throughput requirements,
but require a huge volume of low-cost, lowenergy
consumption devices on a network) does not
necessarily need mission critical communications support
as do first responders. The support of mobile broadband
for streaming entertainment media must not impact
either massive IoT or critical Machine Type Communications
(cMTC). Finally, the application of FWA where
possible supports smaller communities near smart cities
and brings vital services to rural areas via “last mile”
and other infrastructure deployments.
With FWA and 5G mobile broadband, the lives of first
responders will be saved via advanced communications;
however, the security industry has the great opportunity
to leverage long range AI-based object recognition
and thermal imaging alerts via FWA with the potential
to contain a wildfire or other disaster well before
it scales to destruction.
ICT Leaps Forward: 5G & IoT
An IoT device is a simple piece of technology, comprising
a small computing unit, memory, sensing/display
capability, communication and power. A security IoT
device is a specialized sensor capable of detecting
and recognizing things via object recognition, acoustic
signature, video metadata, laser points, radar echoes
and even temperature differences. When deployed
in large numbers, these sensors can manage city
traffic, identify faces, streamline operations, enhance
the security and safety of people and even enable
more efficient use of power.
However, this is made possible only by design, installa-
tion and performance of wireless or wired infrastructure.
The BICSI RCDD is in a unique position to efficiently
deploy infrastructure to suit the use case, connected
sensors, and ecosystem scalability—not the other
way around.
So where exactly does the bulk of the processing
happen? Will end users spend more on edge devices
and their platforms, good for the way the security
industry conducts business, or will most costs move
to a sophisticated, elastic cloud platform in a pay-as-
you-consume model?
With whom will the ICT professional choose to
partner: the web services/platform providers, the Over
the Top (OTT) providers who offer communications
and streaming services across IP networks or the edge
hardware and application developers? The OTT provider
goes “over” a traditional cable/broadcast provider connection
via 5G or FWA-based internet connectivity.
It seems like the 5G providers, such as Verizon
and AT&T, will be playing the link role between
platforms and edge IoT devices, so BICSI and SIA
members should partner with solution providers
in both categories.
What will be the backbone for the new IoT offerings?
In the ICT network slice pyramid the “massive IoT”
means an exponential number of sensors increasing,
limited only by cost and availability of supporting
infrastructure. Smart cities cannot even commence
technology deployment without ICT, and they require
a skilled project management team that includes
BICSI RCDD and SIA Certified Security Project
Manager (CSPM) credential holders.
The BICSI RCDD is in a unique
position to efficiently deploy
infrastructure to suit the use
case, connected sensors, and
ecosystem scalability—not the
other way around.