Kim Krogh Andersen, Product & Technology – Group Executive, Telstra, is speaking on a Panel and Presenting a case study at FutureNet Asia. We recently caught up with Kim to get his thoughts on the topic of his presentation: Industry 4.0 – The growth opportunity from the intersection of Cloud, Edge, 5G, IoT and AI.

Do you think 5G and edge computing will be the cornerstone for many IoT and AI applications and devices?

Absolutely. The inherent capabilities of 5G provide an array of opportunities for the evolution of IoT and AI applications, which are well beyond the possibilities of faster mobile broadband.
The massive density and ultra-low latency of 5G will be the basis for the growth of the Internet of Everything across multiple devices, (such as appliances and accessories), and provide AI and data for automation and monetisation opportunities. Its high bandwidth and speed capabilities also enable large amounts of data to be carried back and forth from these devices for AI/data processing either at the integrated Edge or in the Cloud.

What are your views on how these technologies interlink – do you think that in combination value exceeds that of them individually? If so, in which particular areas?

5G transforms the capability of the mobile network and Edge brings applications closer to the user. 5G brings speed, control and capacity whilst Edge unlocks ultra-low latency for applications. Use cases which require <1ms or even <10ms latency at high bandwidth will need 5G + Edge working in tandem. We will only be able to realise the vision of use cases like fully autonomous vehicles, remote VR to control machinery in real-time and massive IoT deployments driving automated, real-time responses/actions with 5G + Edge in combination.

Which models and use cases are likely to be the most successful?

From a Telstra perspective, there are already a number of examples of relevant use cases for 5G and edge computing. Mobile broadband for low latency streaming is already here, and we have AR and VR for enhanced sports and entertainment experiences (e.g. Telstra’s AR AFL app) now hitting the market. AR and VR will also be a significant benefit to the training, manufacturing and maintenance industries, especially when combined with Digital Twin technologies that we are developing.
From an emergency & protective services perspective, we will see dedicated private 5G network slices with enhanced audio, video and data capabilities. At Telstra, we have also released Network Optimised Products to the market so that some customers can dynamically switch on certain feature enhancements on the go for some use cases (e.g. speed, latency).
APIs will also be a way in which we will be able to innovate and monetise at the pace of technology, tapping ecosystems as a platform and with pure digital programmable engagement with hyperscalers, enterprises and developers.

Are automation and orchestration at the level needed to offer service-defined network slices? If not, when will they be and what needs to happen to get them there?

Technologically speaking, we are already here, and are already somewhat doing this with our Network Optimised Products. With the advent of standalone 5G, we look forward to being able to spin up slices for customers dynamically, providing personalised feature enhancements on the go.

To hear more insight from Kim, join the event and register here