The potentialities of 5G for the home appliance sector

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Paolo Falcioni, APPLiA’s DG, recently took part in the 30th Annual IBA Communications and Competition Conference in Milan that hosted the panel “5G showcase and rethinking spectrum, network sharing, access and interoperability for 5G networks” to discuss the developments achieved and the new opportunities ahead when it comes to 5G. As reported by APPLiA, alongside the increased number of smart devices at home, the concept of smart home is becoming more and more appreciated by people with an 80% who finds the idea of having a smart device at home appealing. By the numbers, connected devices will reach 50 billions globally by 2020 and the number of smart homes in the EU is not expected to stop either, with a tenfold increase by 2021. In the next 20 years, the International Energy Agency has predicted a share of electricity consumption from connected appliances comparable to that of traditional ones with a steadily decreased cost of smart appliances. For APPLiA, the spreading of smart and connected devices and the addressing of Cybersecurity and Data privacy in EU legislations are two sides of the same coin. At this point in time, APPLiA is working with the European Commission and other stakeholders to define the conditions for a Smart Readiness Indicator helping valorise smart appliances within a smart building environment. “With 5G – said Paolo Falcioni – pervasive connectivity becomes real and IoT devices setup becomes easier. Imagine bringing home a connected device, powering it on, and having it immediately connected and working. Indeed, the upcoming of 5G will bring with itself a big change in the way we understand IoT and will enable considerable shifts in consumers’ everyday life, amongst which: immediate connection of a device to the Internet and to other home appliances once it is switched on, remote diagnostics of devices, support of the smart grid and higher empowerment of consumers”. So far APPLiA, explained Paolo Falcioni, has been active in achieving interoperability, in collaborating with the EU Institutions and in fostering industry initiatives, amongst which SAREF (Smart Appliances REFerence ontology) is a remarkable one and allowed to set a common language for the exchange of information between appliances and the energy management system.