5G Connectivity Technologies for the IoT: Research and Development Challenges

This work seeks to provide the 5G connectivity technologies for the Internet of Things (IoT) research and development together with future directions in the field. The requirements of Massive IoT and Critical IoT use cases and communication technologies are reviewed from the point of view for 5G devices and the corresponding low-power networks. 3GPP cellular networks are addressed as a major connectivity solution for IoT applications. Also, one of the main focus is to support the traffic growth for enabling the IoT. Market drivers and requirements for IoT use cases are included, too. Thus, 5G connectivity has a huge influence in the move of IoT from infrastructure to business models. This article presents a comparative study of cellular IoT support and evolution for the 5G system. Research activities including the area of software-defined sensor networks, network function virtualization, cognitive radio technology, network management, interoperability, and new radio access are also presented.