Review of Mobile Communication and the 5G in Manufacturing

This article intends to demonstrate the importance of cutting-edge technologies in providing mobile coverage in factories and in industrial buildings. The current paper examines indoor and outdoor radio network systems and investigates already operating mobile networks, as well as the 5G, which is currently in the state of standardisation [1]. Furthermore, building on the available data transfer rates, current article - relying on the standardisation process – estimates the preference of the 5G within manufacturing. In the world of IoT (Internet of Things) [2], M2M (Machine-to-Machine Communication) [3] and Smart Factories [4], the available mobile networks most likely will not be able to handle the high traffic load sufficiently [5]. The article seeks to answer whether the development of new mobile technologies will be able to support the Industry 4.0 revolution for Smart Factories and manufacturers [6].