Kevin Swank, product marketing director at CommScope pictures a future where 5G technology seamlessly intertwines with our daily transportation systems, revolutionising connectivity. With 5G’s unparalleled speed, low latency, and vast capacity, it is expected to play an important role in many aspects of everyday life.

Due to the increasing population and limited public transport options, many people view travelling on public transport as a nightmare. Like other industries, the transportation infrastructure also needs to adapt to emerging trends, technologies, questions, and opportunities.

Let’s delve deeper into why 5G is crucial for transportation hubs, especially airports, train stations, and subways—and consider its transformative impact on these critical travel nodes.

The need for 5G in transportation

Airports and railway hubs serve as bustling nerve centres, accommodating millions of passengers daily. The smooth operation of essential services, such as passenger information systems, baggage tracking, security systems, and ticketing, relies heavily on reliable, high-speed connectivity.

By leveraging the lightning-fast speeds and low latency of 5G, these transportation hubs can facilitate seamless communication and data exchange among devices. This capability ensures real-time updates, optimising operational efficiency. The potential benefits include expedited boarding processes, enhanced security screenings, and an overall improved customer experience.

However, the need for 5G extends beyond the aforementioned aspects. Even managing congestion and traffic in transportation hubs poses a major challenge. 5G opens the door to advanced technologies, such as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and AI-powered analytics, seamlessly integrating into the infrastructure to comprehend and address these challenges. These technologies excel at monitoring crowd densities, tracking passenger flow, and analysing real-time traffic patterns.

Armed with this information, transportation authorities can make well-informed decisions, optimise operations, and effectively manage crowd control. This, in turn, results in reduced wait times and heightened safety measures.

5G's contribution to stress-free journeys

Transportation hubs serve as complex intersections where diverse modes of transportation converge. The integration of 5G technology enhances the intelligence and interconnectedness of these hubs. For instance, airports, train stations, and subways can leverage the capabilities of 5G to incorporate intelligent systems.

These systems provide passengers with real-time information on schedules, delays, and alternative routes. This valuable information can be seamlessly delivered through personalised mobile apps, digital signage, or augmented reality (AR) experiences, ultimately contributing to a travel experience that is both seamless and stress-free.

Another significant transformation facilitated by 5G is its role in advancing autonomous vehicles and drones. With 5G, autonomous shuttles, taxis, and delivery vehicles can navigate the complex hub environment of airports more effectively, making them more efficient and sustainable.

However, 5G enabled transport is not limited, to just public services. Gartner estimates that number of cars actively connected to a 5G service will rise to 94% by 2028. What does this mean for road travel? Merely expanding roadways, tracks, or runways is insufficient. Engineering, innovation and of course, technology will be key, including 5G — with high bandwidth, low latency, capacity for network slicing, increased density of connected devices, ease of data sharing and guaranteed coverage.

5G has the potential to enhance travel efficiency, decrease congestion, and reduce travel times by optimising various elements such as V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, smart junctions, and traffic lights. This not only benefits individual journeys but also contributes to an overall improvement in the country's environmental impact. To fully harness the capabilities of intelligent transport systems, a well-coordinated framework is essential.

This framework should encompass features supporting ultra-low latency for timely warning signals, higher data rates for efficient sharing of sensory data between vehicles and infrastructure, high mobility, high reliability, and scalability. Advanced connectivity solutions, notably 5G, play a crucial role in unlocking the full potential of V2X technologies.

The bigger picture of advanced surveillance

However, the utmost importance lies in ensuring safety and security within transportation hubs. 5G technology emerges as a powerful tool to address these concerns, enabling real-time video surveillance, facial recognition, and biometric authentication systems. The low latency and high bandwidth capabilities of 5G empower security personnel to swiftly respond to potential threats, heightening situational awareness and fostering a secure environment for passengers.

Furthermore, by leveraging 5G-powered IoT devices, airports can utilise connected video cameras to deter luggage theft and implement passenger-luggage matching devices to ensure each bag departs with its rightful owner. Moreover, heightened security measures are imperative, particularly in the realm of road travel, given the alarming frequency of accidents. The advent of 5G amplifies available bandwidth and reduces latency for transportation providers. This enhancement facilitates the deployment of customer experience insight tools and third-party analytics systems aimed at ensuring both public safety and personal security. This includes provisions for reliable connectivity, ultra-high-definition cameras, V2X notifications, and touch-free travel.

Ultimately, traditional approaches to network architecture have been relatively monolithic, relying on a centralised approach to the headend and a stable, predictable edge layout. The future of transportation hubs is undeniably intertwined with the potential of 5G, and embracing this transformative technology is vital for unlocking their full potential.