Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Next-Generation Wireless in Logistics

Wireless Communication Technology

Wireless communication technology is making headlines as new 5G mobile data networks are rolled out across the world and progress across a wide range of wireless communication approaches is creating new opportunities for the logistics industry to improve visibility, enhance operational efficiency and accelerate automation. Next-generation wireless technologies will enable a new world in which everything, everywhere can be connected.

 

Key Developments & Implications

Logistics will be both a major beneficiary of the Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled digital revolution and an enabler of it. Logistics companies operate in a world of “things”, coordinating millions of shipments, assets and people across complex, heterogeneous and geographically dispersed supply chains.

And while IoT is alive and well in logistics, this new generation of wireless technologies will usher in an exciting era of capabilities that expand and build upon today’s successes. The ability to monitor, track and interact with those assets through wireless connections will make supply chains more visible, more flexible, more efficient, more predictable and more resilient.

 

Short-range Network Technologies

Short-range network technologies like RFID, NFC and Bluetooth connect devices across distances between a few millimeters and several tens of meters. They are typically used for connectivity within the same room, or between different parts of a single, larger object.

 

Local Area Network Technologies

Local area network technologies like WiFi, LiFi, and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) connect devices across distances between a few meters to a few hundreds of meters. They are typically used to provide coverage across a specific area, such as a home, office, warehouse or factory.

 

Wide Area Network Technologies

Wide area network technologies like 5G, will enhance mobile broadband at ultra low-latency with massive, machine-type communication to deliver new capabilities in connected supply chains. Network slicing will shift how bandwidth is allocated and leveraged by logistics providers and the world at the regional or national level.

 

Low Power Wide Area Networks

Low Power Wide Area Networks like SigFox, LoRa, LTE-M and NBIoT, will blanket the world with a thin layer of connectivity, connecting devices across distances between a few hundred meters and several hundred kilometers.

 

Global Area Network Technologies

Global area network technologies involving low-earth orbit to geospatial satellites connect devices across large parts of the earth’s surface. They are typically used to provide connectivity in remote locations, or to maintain a connection with devices that travel over long distances.

 

Source:https://www.dhl.com/global-en/home/insights-and-innovation/thought-leadership/trend-reports/next-generation-wireless.html