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Next-Generation Wireless in Logistics
Next-Generation Wireless in Logistics
Wireless in
LogisticsA DHL perspective on the
evolution of wireless
networks and the future
of IoT in logistics
1
Contents Preface
Preface How did you access this report? There’s a very wireless communication technologies is In this report, we have pooled the logistics
good chance that you did so via some type of now creating new opportunities for industry and technology expertise within DHL to help
1 Understanding Next-Generation Wireless 4
wireless technology, perhaps using Wi-Fi or to improve visibility, enhance operational you answer the following questions:
1.1 Wireless Has Changed the World 4 cellular data on a mobile device. efficiency, and accelerate automation. These
■ What is next-generation wireless? Why
1.2 Connecting Everyone, Everything, Everywhere 7 next-generation wireless technologies will
As we write this, the value of wireless is it relevant for logistics and why now?
enable the next step in the communication
1.3 Next-Generation Wireless: No One Size Fits All 9 networks has become especially vivid.
revolution, moving beyond today’s goal of ■ Which next-generation wireless
Millions around the world are staying at
1.4 Why Is It Happening Now? 12 connecting everyone to a new world in which technologies are relevant for logistics
home, with new quarantine and social
everything, everywhere can be connected. and what new use cases will they
2 Next-Generation Wireless Technologies & Logistics Use Cases 13 distancing rules as part of the global response
enable?
2.1 Short-Range Network Technologies 15 to the COVID-19 pandemic. With physical The digital revolution has already
movement restricted, digital activity has transformed asset-light industries from ■ How can I get started applying next-
2.2 Local Area Networks 20
seen an unprecedented spike. Remote access media and entertainment to financial generation wireless in my supply chain?
2.3 Wide Area Networks 23 systems, media streaming services, and video services. Now the rapid evolution of the
calling technologies have become critical Internet of Things (IoT) is allowing more Looking ahead, we believe next-generation
2.4 Low-Power Wide Area Networks 27
links to the outside world as people strive to asset-heavy industries, from automotive wireless technologies will be critical in
2.5 Global Area Networks 32 maintain contact with friends, families, and and manufacturing companies to healthcare advancing the visibility, autonomy, and
3 Building a Fully Connected Future for Logistics 35 work colleagues. providers, to accelerate their own digital predictability of logistics operations. None
transformations. Our own sector, logistics, will of these benefits will accrue automatically,
3.1 Total Visibility, Large-Scale Autonomy & Perfecting Prediction 38 Even before the crisis, wireless however. To take advantage of better
be both a major beneficiary of the IoT-enabled
communication technology was making wireless connectivity in logistics operations,
3.2 Risks & Challenges of Next-Generation Wireless 40 digital revolution and an enabler of it.
headlines. Much recent interest has focused companies will have to overcome
3.3 Implementing Next-Generation Wireless in your Supply Chain 42 on 5G mobile data networks that are being IoT is already alive and well in logistics, and many challenges, from reducing power
4 Conclusion & Outlook 44 rolled out in many countries. 5G promises a this new generation of wireless technologies consumption to meeting complex standards
host of benefits for end users, businesses, and will usher in an era of expanded capabilities and regulatory frameworks.
Next-Generation Wireless Technology Cheat Sheet 46
telecommunication system operators alike that build upon today’s successes. The ability
Sources 47 including higher speeds, greater capacity, to monitor, track, and interact with assets We believe that there has never been a more
and tailored services for a new generation of through wireless connections will make exciting time to explore next-generation
Pictorial Sources 48
smart connected devices. supply chains faster, more flexible, more wireless technologies, and we are eager to
Further Information 50 efficient, more predictable, and more resilient. begin this journey together with you, our
It is important to recognize, however, that customers and partners.
Recommended Reading 51
progress across a wide range of different
2 3
UPDATED!
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Connectivity
is increasingly Self-actualization Desire to become the most that one can be
seen as a
basic human Esteem Respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, freedom
need.
Love & belonging Friendship, intimacy, family, sense of connection
Figure 1
The wireless communication technology Apple App Store had 552 apps for download networks are quicker, easier, and cheaper
1.1 WIRELESS HAS CHANGED THE WORLD computer. By 2016, nearly 287 million people platforms and e-commerce. population, up from around 0.5% at the turn
in the US were accessing the internet, and of the millennium.
Wireless technology has achieved much more
nine out of ten did so almost exclusively from
For many people around the world, it is hard to imagine life mobile devices. Put differently, in 2008 the
than mere convenience, however. Wireless
without wireless access to the internet. Alongside food, water,
and shelter, Wi-Fi is increasingly seen as a necessity in today’s Figure 1: Maslow’s updated hierarchy of needs.
Source: DHL (2020)
modern world. Figure 2: The launch of the iPhone in 2007 and its
subsequent adoption pushed cellular data transmission far
beyond usage levels of previous devices.
It did not take long for wireless connectivity to become ubiquitous. Source: MacStories (2017)
Figure 2
4 5
Figure 3 shows an overview of mobile and they are. And the market shows no signs of
mobile internet use in several key African slowing down, with a CAGR of 14.4% through
countries. Globally, 4.5 billion people have 2023 and annual shipments of 75 million
internet access, with 3.5 billion smartphone tracking devices. Within the manufacturing
users. Perhaps more interestingly, as of 2019 sector, machines operating at remote sites are
a mobile device was the only form of internet monitored centrally via wireless links. Already
access available to 2.75 billion people, around today, B2B devices and machinery connected to
three quarters of all internet users. the internet are expected to number 5.8 billion
Figure 4
by the end of 2020.
Wireless technology has not just helped people Experience has shown that people’s appetite
get online. Many of the same technology For all its extraordinary success so far, wireless for connectivity is constrained by the devices
stacks used to connect people to the mobile technology still has plenty of work to do. and networks they use. Just over a third of
internet have also brought billions of things Almost half the people in the world still do mobile device connections today use 4G, the
online using wireless technology across not have access to the internet. Access to fastest widely available technology, but they
various industries. In the energy sector, 14% wireless data networks remains patchy. Huge account for 72% of all mobile data use. Around
of all electricity meters in use globally are swathes of the Earth’s surface are beyond the half of the devices connected to today’s
considered smart meters – they use wireless range of conventional mobile data networks. mobile networks are smart (offering advanced
networks to exchange energy consumption and Even in highly developed regions, plenty of multimedia and computing capabilities), but
price information between homes and energy rural locations have poor or non-existent those devices generate 92% of mobile data
suppliers. In logistics and transportation, GPS coverage. In busy urban centers, demand traffic.
tracking devices on vehicles and shipping for connectivity often exceeds supply, with Figure 5
containers like the ones in figure 4 use mobile congestion slowing data transfer rates to the While the number of devices already world’s remaining connectivity white spots, the cloud-based video platform Zoom shown
networks to let their owners know where frustration of users. connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) shifting online access from the ubiquitous in figure 5 became the de-facto tool for many
is estimated to be around 20 billion, there to the universal. To do that, technology must homebound professionals and their families.
are many billions more for which today’s achieve three major objectives:
Mobile & mobile internet penetration – wireless communication options are unviable,
This young technology company experienced
1. Bring everyone online
Percentage of adult population in key African countries being too expensive, too power hungry, or
a 728% increase in the download rate of its
mobile app, from 56,000 daily downloads
simply incapable of providing the necessary 2. Bring everything online
in January 2020 to 2.13 million daily
performance or coverage.
3. Deliver connectivity everywhere downloads in March 2020.
ALGERIA NIGERIA KENYA If wireless technology is to fulfil its potential, Everyone
these limitations will need to be overcome.
Wireless connectivity has already helped
92% 61% 89% 50% 86% 43%
Addressing that challenge is the goal of Figure 3: In key African countries, mobile and mobile
to connect more than half the world’s
not just a single technology like 5G but internet represent the most pervasive form of connectivity.
87% 57% 84% 35% 82% 26% population to the internet, and it is expected Source: DW (2019)
a collection of new and emerging “next-
to connect another billion people in the Figure 4: The logistics and transportation industries are the
generation” wireless technologies. main drivers of GPS tracking device adoption.
next five years alone. The benefits of that Source: Samsara (2019)
IVORY COAST TANZANIA
1.2 CONNECTING connectivity are hard to overestimate: even Figure 5: Zoom meetings have gone from a startup niche
activity to a household name during the COVID-19 crisis.
EVERYONE, EVERYTHING, with millions adhering to social distancing,
quarantine ordinances, and home office
Source: Business Insider (2020)
90% 52% 86% 35%
EVERYWHERE policies in the wake of COVID-19, humans
82% 28% 77% 17%
Next-generation wireless describes the latest can still communicate with each other, trade
advances in a series of wireless technologies. with each other, learn from each other, and
SOUTH AFRICA MOZAMBIQUE Beyond the current hype surrounding 5G, entertain each other with more freedom than
known technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth at any other time in history.
and lesser-known technologies like low-
87% 63% 60% 22% Where home office policies were a luxury
power wide area networks (LPWANs) and
for senior managers and forward-looking
83% 54% 45% 9% low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites are all making
corporations, this mode of working
significant progress, advancing capabilities
became an overnight necessity for many
Owns mobile Uses mobile internet Men Women for the modern world. These next-generation
professionals at some point in the first
wireless technologies are intended to fill the
quarter of 2020. Perhaps most spectacularly,
Figure 3
6 7
Figure 6
Closing this digital divide may be one of the WIRELESS: NO ONE SIZE to the telecommunications giant Vodafone,
one fifth of internet traffic travels across its
key social and economic challenges of the FITS ALL networks and it experienced the equivalent
coming years, and it won’t be easy to do. of six months’ demand growth in March 2020
To achieve these goals, next-generation
alone. The earliest European countries to
Everything wireless technology must meet a broad
variety of user and industry requirements. introduce lockdown policies, Spain and Italy,
If the challenge of connecting the world’s Networks need to accommodate rapidly saw internet traffic surges of up to 50%.
people is entering its latter stages, the rising levels of traffic, as users’ appetite
Figure 9 Perhaps most importantly, next-generation
challenge of connecting the world’s objects for data-intensive services increases and
is only just beginning. According to the Everywhere wireless networks must also support the
as billions of new devices vie for network
requirements of IoT systems. These may
Bluetooth Special Interest Group, 48 billion access. They must operate at higher speeds
To connect everyone and everything, only need to exchange a few bytes of data in
devices will have internet access by 2021. to support demand from consumers for
next-generation wireless must overcome each transmitted message but must do so
the challenge of geography. Universal high-definition video streaming and online
The majority of those devices will no with complete reliability with minimal power
connectivity requires networks that operate gaming. In enterprises, increasing use of data
longer be computers or smartphones consumption and at the lowest possible
everywhere there are people and things. That analytics and machine learning platforms
but automobiles, machines, personal hardware cost.
includes remote rural communities in low- place greater demands on the collection and
possessions, and appliances that
income countries, underground rail networks processing of data both at the edge and in
communicate with each other, usually
in major cities, and busy music festivals in the the cloud. Wireless networks must enable Figure 9: Bringing connectivity everywhere presents a
wirelessly. That number represents a ten-fold significant geographical challenge for the logistics industry.
countryside. If a device depends on wireless end users, professional or private, to perform Source: Vodafone (2020)
increase in connected devices over today’s
connectivity to do its job, the networks it these functions seamlessly and reliably in Figure 10: Next-generation wireless must enable end users,
levels. Figure 8
professional or private, to deploy a host of applications
uses must reach all the places that the device the busiest cities and the most remote rural seamlessly and reliably anywhere in the world.
might go. For some devices, especially those communities. Source: Getty Images (2017)
Figure 6: Google plans to bring its Google Assistant to feature phones in India via a free hotline. Source: TechCrunch (2019)
used to track and monitor logistics assets,
Figure 7: Whether designed-in or retrofitted, industrial machinery is increasingly becoming connected to the Internet of Things. As depicted in figure 10, the world’s cities
Source: Augury (2020) this will require networks that encompass the
and urban centers hit hardest by the
Figure 8: VR and AR will raise the bar, making new wireless connectivity demands in order to render high-resolution graphics and world’s oceans, deserts, and polar ice-sheets
video content. Source: BD Tech Talks (2020) coronavirus crisis also experienced a larger
as depicted in figure 9.
8 9
UNDERSTANDING WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY
Almost without exception, modern wireless networks exchange data using electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic spectrum is a Different frequencies offer different advantages and disadvantages for ■ Throughput. Not every packet of data transmitted across a
continuum with low-frequency long waves at one end and high-frequency short waves at the other. network designers. Low frequencies are better at operating over long wireless network will be successfully picked up by the recipient.
distances while high frequencies support faster speeds. Different Lost packets are present until a complete message is received, and
Visible light, the most familiar electromagnetic waves to most of us, wireless networks occupy a broad range of frequencies at the lower end
services working in the same range of frequencies can interfere with one the term throughput is used to describe the actual rate of data
occupies a slice of the spectrum with frequencies of around 1015 Hz of the spectrum, generally referred to as radio waves between 103 Hz
another, so some parts of the spectrum are licensed by government exchange achieved.
(waves per second). The electromagnetic waves used to carry data in (1 kHz) and 1010 Hz (10 GHz).
communications agencies and militaries, limiting their use to permitted
■ Latency. This is the time required for a round-trip message
operators and services.
between two communication partners across a network. Latency is
The electromagnetic spectrum & communication technology explained A number of specialist terms describe the characteristics and important in communications with a high degree of interactivity,
performance of different wireless technologies. Here is a guide to some such as online gaming or the real-time control of vehicles or
of the most common, as well as visuals in figures 11 and 12 to help put industrial equipment. It is related to the speed of the network and
Satellite the following in context: the distance travelled by the message. Satellite data systems, for
4G UWB 5G
example, can achieve high absolute transmission speeds but they
2G/3G ■ Frequency. This is the part of the spectrum in which the usually suffer from high latency.
Bandwidth
Bluetooth
several different frequencies, or channels, depending on local
RFID
Characteristics of wireless networks
Sigfox
Sigfox
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
LoRa
LoRa
LoRa
NFC
Hz
Hz
Hz
Hz
Hz
Hz
24 z
z
z
kH
kH
GH
GH
GH
GH
GH
GH
GH
GH
GH
M
,6
40
0
3
Looking at the
12
2,
2,
2,
3,
30
43
45
70
86
91
95
10
capacity of a wireless channel is closely related to its bandwidth, characteristics of wireless
wireless communication hence the term broadband is used to describe high-speed, high- networks, 5G shows a data
0 103 technologies 109 1021 rate that is over 50x faster
capacity networks.
than LTE
Hz kHz MHz GHz EHz ■ Data rate. Measured in bits per second, this is the maximum data
transmission speed of a given wireless channel.
FREQUENCY/BANDWIDTH
■ Capacity. This is a measure of the maximum number of users or
Direct Extremely low Low Radio Micro- Infrared Ultra- Gamma
current frequency frequency waves waves radiation violet X-Rays rays devices that a network can support. It depends on the design of the LATENCY
Non-ionizing radiation Ionizing radiation network and the speed, latency, and throughput requirements of
DATA RATE
connected devices.
Computer TV Broadcast Microwave Visible Diagnostic Radiation
THROUGHPUT
Mobile Phone Therapeutic ■ Range. The physical distance from a host/originating device in
Figure 11 which wireless technology can transmit information.
Figure 11 Figure 12
Between these extremes there are hundreds No single approach will be able to meet all For a better understanding of wireless
of other current and emerging use cases, these diverse requirements. Instead, the technology, refer to the separate section
each with their own unique combination next-generation wireless world will involve an which outlines core attributes relevant to all
of speed, bandwidth, range, power, and ecosystem of competing and complementary wireless technologies. It also clarifies technical
cost requirements. Some smart tags used technologies. Makers of products and services terminology used throughout this report –
in product identification and tracking, for will need to pick the most suitable wireless terms that you are likely to encounter on your
example, only need to communicate over a approach for their specific application. As journey to bring IoT and next-generation
distance of a few centimeters. Others require already the case today, many applications wireless into your supply chain.
consistent levels of coverage across the entire will use a combination of approaches,
surface of the Earth. switching between technologies and networks Figure 11: A diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum, highlighting the bands capable of data transmission. Source: DHL (2020)
according to service availability or application- Figure 12: Ookla’s Speedtest app can be used to test connectivity performance on any device. Source: DHL (2020)
specific communication needs at the time.
10 11
1.4 WHY IS IT HAPPENING
Logistics is undergoing disruption from digital technology
NOW?
Wireless and digital technology will soon
Digital maturity
Disruption occured
bring everyone online. Already entire Fully digitalized players own market MEDIA
industries have been disrupted and
Asset light
reinvented for the digital era. Media, banking, Disruption moves ongoing
TELECOMMUNICATIONS,
Online players on the rise, incubents INSURANCE & BANKING
insurance, and telecommunications have partially leverage digital RETAIL
been the first industries swept up by a wave
of digital technology. Unlike these relatively AUTO-MOBILITY
asset-light verticals, the next industries
LOGISTICS*
on the brink of disruption, shown in figure
Disruption changes to be seen Sector entering major
13, have asset-heavy business models Very few disruptive digital disruptive waves
Asset heavy
players or improvements of HEALTHCARE
and operations. These industries include value chain
retail, automotive, and logistics; they will
ENERGY
have to first connect everything in order
Chapter 2
to truly leverage the capabilities of digital
Point of digitalization journey
transformation. Assuming these industries
succeed, researchers at McKinsey Global
Figure 13
Institute predict a fully digitalized world in
the IoT technology stack are enabling new visibility, infrastructure simplification, further
which two thirds of all enterprise EBIT, and
capabilities such as 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and other optimization, and data-driven decision
three quarters of revenue, will come from
wireless innovations in their newest product making. Logistics will then also discover new
efficiencies and new opportunities in digital
offerings. opportunities for efficiency gains to increase
supply chains.
service quality at lower cost.
The next generation of wireless technologies
Although IoT is not a new trend in logistics,
the industry is benefitting from an increasing
technology push. Wireless technologies have
coming to market will play a pivotal role in
turning logistics into a truly digital industry.
The recent arrival of 5G has sparked interest
among supply chain leaders about the Next-Generation Wireless Technologies
& Logistics Use Cases
As illustrated in figure 14, by connecting capabilities offered by next-generation
made significant progress in recent years
everyone and everything in all the places wireless technologies. The next chapter
across all parts of the wireless spectrum
(everywhere) that global supply chains examines precisely what these technologies
to advance the reach and capabilities of
operate, logistics can achieve unparalleled are, exploring the next-generation wireless
IoT. Technology companies at all levels of
technology ecosystem and considering
In the previous chapter of this report, we looked at the way
how all this will transform the business of wireless connectivity has already had a huge impact on business,
logistics. technology, and society. There are still plenty of places, people,
and objects sitting beyond the reach of today’s wireless
technologies. These cannot be addressed because current wireless
technologies are unable to deliver the necessary combination of
geographical reach, technical capability, and low cost.
Figure 14
12 13
2.1 SHORT- Despite widespread use in other areas, early
RFID
Ranges of next-generation wireless technologies RANGE NETWORK attempts to introduce RFID tags in logistics
failed spectacularly. The technology was
TECHNOLOGIES anticipated as a breakthrough, a replacement Data rate 640 kBit / s
Short-range Local area Wide area Wide area Satellite Radio Frequency Identification for the ubiquitous barcode label used to
technologies networks networks networks networks Energy
(RFID) identify products and shipments during consumption Low
cellular low power
transportation and storage. RFID held the
RFID technologies are designed to provide promise of low-cost, end-to-end supply Range 100 m
low-cost, short-range sharing of small chain visibility that barcodes could not
Infrastructure Proprietary
amounts of data. As the name suggests, deliver. The aim of the change was efficiency investment antennas
this technology is typically used to identify improvement, since information can be
Availability Dedicated
objects. Common applications include access exchanged not just bi-directionally but also infrastructure
cards for buildings, as in figure 16, and public read at a distance without requiring line of
Global
transit systems, security tags on retail goods, sight between tag and reader, and a single
Up to 50 km Figure 17
and contactless payment card systems. reader can collect information from multiple
Up to 500 m Today, there is a resurgence of interest in new
tags.
Up to 100 m RFID is actually a family of related RFID applications thanks to cheaper tags,
technologies shown in figure 17 which use In practice, however this promise was like the one shown in figure 18, as well as
10 cm to 100 m different frequencies to provide different never realized beyond a handful of lower-cost, more readily available reading
performance characteristics. Most RFID implementations. RFID tags, though equipment. The popularity of RFID has also
systems are passive: the tag or card inexpensive, were not cost-competitive benefited from the integration of near-field
containing the RFID chip and antenna has no to simple printed labels. A lack of global communication (NFC) technologies into
power source of its own. Instead, it harvests standards across reading infrastructure and many smartphones (see next section).
its energy from radio waves transmitted by tags, as well as a swarm of heterogeneous
the reading device. Active tags, which contain proprietary systems, made global
their own battery, offer higher data rates and deployments complicated and expensive.
longer transmission ranges, but the trade- Also, multiple stakeholders had to be
off is increased cost per device. RFID is a involved to ensure availability of uniform,
bi-directional communication protocol; a tag consistent infrastructure across complex and
can both send information to a reader as well inherently fragmented supply chains.
as receive information from it.
Figure 15
As previously noted, different end uses ■ Local area network technologies such ■ Global area network technologies,
require different types of wireless as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), light fidelity involving low-Earth orbit and geospatial
connectivity. To meet the needs of an (Li-Fi), and ultra-wideband (UWB) satellites, connect devices across large
ever-growing variety of applications, next- connect devices across distances of a parts of the Earth’s surface. They are
generation wireless technologies differ in few meters to a few hundreds of meters. typically used to provide connectivity
terms of speed, capacity, power requirements They are typically used to provide in remote locations and to maintain
and, one of the most fundamental coverage across a specific area, such as connection to devices that may travel
differentiators, range. The latter shown in a home, office, warehouse, or factory. long distances in ships and aircraft.
figure 15 can be categorized in the following
■ Wide area network technologies such
broad groups:
as 5G, Sigfox, LoRa, LTE-M, and NB-IoT
■ Short-range network technologies connect devices across distances of a
such as radio frequency identification few hundred meters to several hundred
(RFID), near-field communication (NFC), kilometers. They are typically used
and Bluetooth connect devices across to provide coverage at a regional or
distances of a few millimeters to several national level. In the remainder of this
tens of meters. They are typically used report, we will delineate low power wide Figure 16
for connectivity within the same room area networks and traditional cellular Figure 16: Many building access cards in enterprises use RFID. Source: Deister Electronic (2020)
Figure 15: The ranges of different next-generation wireless
or between different parts of a single networks as separate groupings of wide technologies. Source: DHL (2020) Figure 17: Technical details of RFID technology. Source: DHL (2020)
larger object. area network technologies.
14 15
the customer and employee experience, as NFC Logistics Use Cases companies can make use of the technology
NFC
shown in figure 19. In addition to 80% faster across extended networks without the need
stocktaking in stores, using RFID tags in Shipment Condition Monitoring to deploy proprietary equipment as with RFID
Data rate 430 kBit / s DHL routinely equips sensitive
clothing and Bluetooth beacons in stores in the past. As the component cost continues
has greatly enriched customer points of pharmaceutical shipments with logging to go down, NFC could be used for a host
Energy
consumption Low
interaction. RFID tags are combined with a devices like the SmartSensor near-field of other use cases that require short-range
smart mirror and tablet in changing rooms to communication temperature device shown transmission.
Range 10 cm
help recognize customers, allowing them to in figure 23. SmartSensors can record
call for help, recommending different sizes Infrastructure not just temperature but also humidity, Bluetooth
Smartphone
investment shock, light, and even air pressure during Bluetooth is a two-way short-range
and colors, and even matching with other
Every transit. Earlier iterations of these loggers communication technology. Whereas NFC
similar or complementary clothing articles. Availability
Figure 18 smartphone is great for transferring small amounts of
RFID paired with mobile payment simplifies required proprietary readers to access
Figure 19
Emerging RFID applications tend to involve their data, but the latest version uses NFC, data over a very short distance, Bluetooth
the checkout process by remembering Figure 21
well-controlled environments where allowing authorized users to read data was designed for a more extended range
customers, orders, and returns history.
the availability of tags, readers, and the Near-Field Communication (NFC) via a dedicated app on a conventional of connectivity between devices. Originally
necessary software links can be assured. smartphone. This change has simplified intended as a replacement for the data
A newer technology derived from RFID,
Technology benefits remain the same: data technology deployment and improved the communication cables used to link desktop
near-field communication (NFC), might be
transfer without the need for a line-of-sight user experience. computers with printers, scanners, and
the innovation that finally allows RFID to fulfil
connection and the ability to complete other peripherals, Bluetooth has evolved
its original potential. As outlined in figure In logistics applications, the key advantage
multiple simultaneous reads. over more than a quarter of a century to
21, NFC uses the same basic protocols as its of NFC technology over RFID is its ubiquity. become a mainstay of short-range wireless
RFID Logistics Use Cases simpler cousins but in a more flexible way. A With over 2 billion NFC devices in existence, connectivity in both consumer and business
single NFC device can operate as an RFID tag
In the logistics sector, RFID is now being used applications. The first commercial Bluetooth
or as a reader. Two NFC devices can use the
to automate inventory management and device was a wireless earpiece for a mobile
technology for bi-directional communication.
asset tracking across warehousing and retail phone, and today the technology is used to
stores, as well as enabling end-to-end supply NFC technology is built into a large number connect not only headphones and fitness
chain visibility of goods. of modern smartphones and other consumer trackers like in figure 24, but also speakers,
devices. It powers “touch-to-pay” services such computer keyboards and mice, toothbrushes,
Intelligent Retail Stores & Inventory as Apple Pay and Google Pay, for example, and bicycle pumps.
Management Figure 20
shown in figure 22. NFC technology integrated
Autonomous Inventory & Asset Perhaps more promising than inventory into products such as wireless headsets
Apparel retailer Lululemon uses RFID
Tracking visibility with RFID is asset tracking. Working allows users to pair with their smartphones by
technology to provide retail information on
with customers in the healthcare sector, DHL touching the two devices together.
in-store inventory to its sales associates. The Cobot manufacturer Fetch Robotics has paired Figure 23
has implemented an RFID-based system to aid
company says that the system has increased up with control systems provider Surgere to the tracking of medical equipment and devices
inventory accuracy to 98%, with staff build TagSurveyor, an autonomous mobile in busy hospitals. Using a network of readers,
using a handheld device to tell customers robot with in-built RFID readers shown the system can pinpoint the location of an
immediately if their desired product is in figure 20. The machines do inventory asset to within one or two meters, cutting the
available in the store. tracking and cycle counting autonomously time wasted searching for equipment by more
in large warehouse environments where than two thirds. In addition, hospital staff
Sportswear brand Nike is rolling out RFID
they can roam the aisles reading the tags of can use a handheld scanner to indicate that a
technology across many of its product lines, Figure 21: Technical details of NFC technology.
products on the shelves without the need for specific item is in use, ensuring colleagues are Source: DHL (2020)
with tags built into shoes and other products.
tedious and sometimes dangerous human directed only to items that are available. Figure 22: NFC is the technology behind mobile contactless
The company says it is using its system to
intervention. Important to note here is that payments thanks to its short transmission range.
track inventory at multiple points in the Source: 9to5Mac (2020)
for a 100% accurate stock count, all stock
supply chain, from manufacturing plants to Figure 23: This DHL SmartSensor uses an NFC-based
units must be equipped with an RFID tag that logger to track the temperature of sensitive shipments
the storerooms of its retailer customers. Figure 18: RFID labels today can be printed, significantly across the supply chain. Source: DHL (2018)
is readable within range of the robot. Even lowering costs. Source: Universe of Delivery (2018)
Fashion retailer Inditex has developed an accuracy of 98% may not be good enough Figure 19: The rollout of RFID across Inditex stores has
decreased stocktaking time by 80%. Source: Inditex (2020)
a series of innovations based on RFID to for warehouse operations with hundreds of
Figure 20: Fetch Robotics has developed an autonomous
increase efficiency and improve customer thousands of stock units. mobile robot equipped with RFID readers to automate
inventory stock counting. Source: Fetch Robotics (2019)
service in its retail stores, as well as enhance
Figure 22
16 17
those of previous versions or communicate
over four times the distance at lower speeds.
latest iteration, Bluetooth 5, offers extra with fixed base stations nearby or with mobile
Autonomous Asset Interaction Condition Monitoring with Sensor
flexibility for devices which can achieve short- devices in workers’ hands, allowing specific Figure 24: Bluetooth is the technology behind many
Mesh Networks mainstay wireless accessories such as headphones,
distance communication speeds up to twice items to be easily located. One of the most challenging aspects of smartwatches, and other smartphone and computer
peripherals. Source: Fitbit (2020)
deploying robots in an existing warehouse Bluetooth beacons are also making their way
Figure 25: Technical details of Bluetooth Low Energy.
environment is the multitude of offline assets out into the supply chain. Roambee produces
Source: DHL (2020)
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and obstacles the robot must be able to low-cost BLE tags that can be included in
Figure 26: An MiR picking robot with the ability to open
navigate around. The autonomous mobile every carton in a container or on a pallet, for doors and use elevators with the help of Bluetooth beacons.
Source: Mobile Industrial Robots (2020)
Data rate 1 MBit / s robots that move products around factories example. Those beacons communicate with
Figure 27: The combination of BLE tags and a “mother”
and warehouses like the one shown in figure a “mother” sensor attached to the load. The GSM sensor from Roambee allows logistics operators to
Energy 26 can now use Bluetooth to communicate system confirms all items in the shipment are track multi-piece shipments with unparalleled visibility.
consumption Very low Source: DHL (2020)
with local building controls. Robotics company present; it also uses a mobile data connection
Range 100 m Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) outfitted a to send an alert if the shipment is tampered
multistory warehouse with Bluetooth beacons with or broken down for storage and onward
Infrastructure Bluetooth
investment gateways to allow the robots to intelligently interact distribution.24 This can be particularly helpful
with the other previously offline assets. By when tracking high-value goods or sensitive
Availability Every
smartphone activating a Bluetooth beacon by proximity, shipments such as bulk pharmaceuticals and
the robots are able to open automated doors, machinery, especially for airfreight. Building
for example, and access elevators completely up ULDs can often require breaking down
Figure 25
autonomously. pallets to meet the contour of the given
aircraft. In some cases multiple pallets may
end up in separate ULDs or trucks and yet
sensor networks like those from Roambee
can ensure these multi-piece shipments arrive
together at their destination.
Figure 26
18 19
Wi-Fi 6
Energy
consumption Medium
Range 50 m
Figure 32
20 21
2.3 WIDE AREA 5G
■ Massive Machine Type Communication
(mMTC) connections are designed
NETWORKS specifically for IoT devices, with an
Data rate 500 GBit / s
Cellular Technology & the emphasis on low-cost, low-power
Rise of 5G Energy
Very high
consumption, and the ability of
consumption
networks to support large numbers
The wireless wide area networks used of devices.
Range 500 m
by modern mobile phones are based on
cellular radio technologies. In these systems, New antennas
■ Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency
Figure 34 Figure 35 Infrastructure
investment & more towers Communications (URLLC) network
network operators install base stations, or
Ultra-Wideband (UWB) base stations located around a warehouse, localize assets over a greater distance while
connections are designed to support
masts, across the area they wish to serve. Limited public
sorting facility, or similar distribution center. requiring less infrastructure and it isn’t Availability deployments
Each mast creates a cell which can cover equipment that depends on robust
Originally derived for radar positioning and It should be noted that RTLS can be provided hindered by the physical layout of dense
an area anything from a few meters to wireless connections for real-time
communication technology in the mid-20th by other network technologies, including warehouses and sorting equipment. Figure 37
several kilometers around the base station. control activities. This new type of
century, ultra-wideband is today making a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RFID, but makers capacity it provides. 5G networks will be connection is expected to be important
comeback in the industry – with more impact of dedicated UWB location technologies
Warehouse Layout Optimization Devices in a cell exchange data or voice calls
able to support up to 1 million connections in future mobility applications, such as
than at its inception – for smaller-scale with the cell’s base station and, behind the
claim that these systems offer unparalleled Going a step beyond positioning individual per square kilometer, ten times more than
scenes, network software manages hand- communications between autonomous
positioning to localize assets indoors. range, localization accuracy, and power items, UWB can be used to gain a detailed today’s 4G systems. Technical details of 5G vehicles and traffic infrastructure, and
offs between cells to provide a seamless
consumption benefits. picture of the operations of an entire are depicted in figure 37.
UWB is attractive for industrial indoor experience as a device moves from cell for connecting industrial equipment.
positioning applications because it is spread facility. This allows managers to identify to cell.
Efficiency in logistics operations – especially In another departure from earlier networks,
opportunities to reduce congestion and cut ■ Network Slicing allows network
across a large number of frequencies with sorting, fulfillment, and distribution – relies 5G technology has also been designed to operators to segment and allocate
a range of up to 200 meters. This means no travel times by reconfiguring the space. DHL The first cellular networks were built
on a host of totes, as seen in figure 35, as well support a wider range of use cases. The
and Redpoint Positioning, a leader in UWB- primarily to support mobile telephony dedicated portions of the 5G spectrum
disturbance to other wireless technologies as roller cages and other material handling International Telecommunication Union to specific applications with tailor-made
in a relatively large space. UWB can safely based real-time location services for industry, services but since 2009 they have been
equipment. In addition to managing the flow Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), which
have partnered to deliver a host of intelligent supporting more data traffic than voice requirements, such as a guaranteed data
coexist among existing Wi-Fi networks and of goods, it has become essential to also sets the standard for global mobile networks, capacity and latency.
Bluetooth devices. Thanks to leveraging warehousing applications. By equipping parts calls. Cellular technologies have evolved
manage the flow of these handling units. has defined four fundamental scenarios that
high frequencies on the electromagnetic of a warehouse in Singapore with Redpoint in response to this changing demand, with
UWB positioning solutions like the Kinexon future 5G networks should support:
spectrum, UWB signals can also penetrate UWB tags, the DHL team has been able to third- and fourth-generation networks
solution shown in figure 34 can be used
obstacles like walls and doors. This greatly improve worker safety by creating proximity (called 3G and 4G by the industry) providing ■ Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)
to locate and manage the usage of such Figure 37: Technical details of 5G. Source: DHL (2020)
simplifies the infrastructure requirement alerts to avoid collisions with forklifts and higher speeds and greater capacity to is the evolution of today’s 4G networks,
equipment and tools in busy environments. Figure 38: 5G-capable phones are becoming available from
to achieve effective UWB coverage across a material handling equipment. Beyond safety, support fast downloads and multimedia offering more capacity for operators and
all major smartphone makers.
This is becoming increasingly prevalent in Source: Nikkei Asian Review (2019)
given area. Also UWB generates short pulses tracking the movement of materials, assets, content streaming. higher speeds for end users.
manufacturing and production environments
that can be measured very precisely. This and people has helped realize productivity
today. Like Wi-Fi, however, mobile networks are
enables applications based on the technology gains through reduced congestion, improved
facing a capacity crunch. The combination
to achieve precision location readings down The key advantage of UWB in a real-time resource planning, and better workload
of increasing user numbers, rising data
to even a few millimeters. location system is the precision of the allocation.
consumption per device, and the growth in
technology – it provides localization down to
UWB Logistics Use Cases IoT device connections means that demand
a few centimeters compared to Wi-Fi which
will exceed supply across today’s networks
may be accurate to a few meters. Additionally
For the logistics industry, UWB brings the by the middle of the current decade. The
the range and reach of UWB makes it more
promise of highly accurate visibility through industry is responding to this challenge
attractive than Bluetooth or RFID, as it can
indoor positioning of materials, assets, and with the roll out of its own next-generation
personnel in increasingly complex warehouse wireless solution: 5G.
environments.
Figure 34: German startup Kinexon has a portfolio of indoor
positioning systems based on ultra-wideband for industrial 5G networks will offer similar peak speeds to
Real-Time Location Systems applications. Source: Kinexon (2020)
Wi-Fi 6, with the first commercial networks
Figure 35: Managing the flow of logistics assets in complex
expected to deliver speeds of up to 10 Gbps.
One family of technologies that is of indoor environments is boosted by UWB-based real-time
location systems. Source: Bloomberg (2018) Much higher speeds have already been
particular interest in the logistics industry is
Figure 36: UWB offers the potential to optimize facility achieved in test conditions. As with Wi-Fi,
real-time location systems (RTLS). In these layout and thereby boost productivity. Source: DHL (2019)
however, speed is only part of the story. The
systems, tags attached to people or objects
biggest benefit of 5G for operators and the
exchange short messages with a number of
majority of users is expected to be the extra
Figure 36 Figure 38
22 23
Figure 41
Consultancy Deloitte expects a third of the Chinese network carrier China Mobile has
investment in private 5G networks over the developed city-scale plans for 5G road
next five years to come from such applications, networks within Hubei province that are
noting that 5G is the only wireless technology capable of supporting cellular network-
currently capable of connecting every coordinated transportation services. Its first
container, vehicle, crane, and other asset used use can be seen with 5G toll booths that allow
Figure 39 at a major port complex. European network for automated toll collection without slowing
Private 5G private networks, installing their own 5G network. The example shown in figure 40 is operator Orange has teamed up with the Port down traffic or requiring any toll workers. As
base stations in factories and industrial parks. a recent collaboration announced between of Antwerp, chemical company Borealis, and well as ushering in new levels of connectivity
The world’s mobile network operators are Lufthansa Technical Services, Vodafone, and polymer manufacturer Covestro to explore and visibility for logistics, 5G technology will Figure 41: The Port of Antwerp has launched its exploration
currently in the early stages of the rollout of Private 5G networks offer some compelling this opportunity. Using a private 5G network be a key building block in the development of private 5G. Source: Browsify (2019)
Hamburg Airport to deliver a 5G campus
their public 5G networks. In most developed benefits to organizations. The technology provided by Orange, the four companies plan to of autonomous driving systems for trucks Figure 42: Highways equipped with 5G can potentially
network. By equipping a hangar and the optimize traffic orchestration.
countries, coverage is still patchy, with promises improved performance in pilot real-life industrial applications as shown especially in the case of platooning and long-
surrounding building with 5G, Vodafone and Source: Fleet Complete (2019)
operators focusing their attention on major environments filled with metal objects and in figure 41 that make use of the massive haul transport.
Lufthansa aim in the near future to bring rich
cities and other areas of high demand. South radio-frequency interference, for example. machine-type (mMTC) and incoming ultra-
media experiences like augmented reality
Korea, which had the most highly developed And 5G offers significant new network reliable low-latency (URLLC) strands of the new
to aviation technicians and immersive video
public 5G networks at the end of 2019, has control options. Using the network slicing 5G standard.
conferencing to office workers, among other
installed more than 90,000 base stations, capability of 5G, owners can fine-tune the
capabilities.
making the technology accessible to an connectivity offered to different devices As the reach and coverage of 5G technology
estimated 93% of the population. on the same network, so that autonomous expands, so will its logistics applications.
robots could be guaranteed fast, reliable Some of those applications will be industry
The initial business case for public 5G connections, for example, without having specific, including the use of 5G-enabled
investments concentrates on the eMBB use to compete for bandwidth with less safety- tracking devices to monitor the location and
case, with operators looking to shift existing critical applications. status of vehicles, containers, and loads both
and new smartphone users over to 5G, and to within facilities and between them. Others will
compete with fixed-line broadband providers 5G Logistics Use Cases emerge as part of the larger-scale, long-term
by offering 5G connections to homes and development of 5G.
Logistics Campus Hyper-Connectivity
workplaces. In some countries, security,
For logistics companies, 5G promises to Smart Roads & Logistics Transport
environmental, and safety concerns have
address multiple connectivity challenges with Initiatives to enable highways and
delayed the installation and activation of 5G
a single technology. The first major use case Figure 40 transportation infrastructure with 5G are
infrastructure.
is expected to be the application of private already underway today. Smart mobility
Businesses won’t have to wait for public 5G networks at logistics hubs such as ports, solutions such as 5G connected traffic control
Figure 39: South Korea is the first country with widespread
infrastructure before they can start airports, and warehouse complexes. One public 5G. Source: BD Destinations (2019) systems illustrated in figure 42 will help to
benefiting from 5G, however. Many early major benefit of 5G is the ability to cover both Figure 40: Lufthansa Technical Services and Vodafone have reduce road congestion, making journey
partnered to bring 5G into aircraft maintenance operations.
adopters of the technology are expected use indoor and outdoor applications with a single Source: Vodafone (2020) times shorter, more predictable, and more
fuel efficient. Figure 42
24 25
In the logistics industry, developing digital
twins of complex supply chain infrastructure,
such as ports and large warehouses, is just
Evolution of LPWAN networks in cellular technology
now in its early stages. Major ports around the
world, including Singapore and Rotterdam,
Netherlands shown in figure 44, are turning
to digital twins to design, plan, and manage 5G
Broadband
future operations. The top three challenges to
the advancement of digital twins in logistics • Broad bandwith
are cost, precise representation, and data • High cost 4G LTE
• High power
quality. 5G and next-generation wireless could
• Low latency
provide solutions to the latter two challenges. 3G
Precise representation of digital twins
is dependent on real-time connectivity
between the physical asset and its virtual
2G
representation. Given the complexity of
modern warehouses and increasingly
automated logistics facilities, collecting,
LTE-M
transferring, and visualizing the data in a
Narrowband
Figure 43
1:1 dynamic virtual model has been limited 5G
by the capabilities of existing wireless
Dynamic Pop-Up Logistics Facilities hospital when operational, China’s 5G • Small bandwith
Retailers and supply chain leaders are networks were a key enabler to creating
networks. Now, with the ultra-low latency
• Low cost NB-IoT
and enhanced broadband of 5G, this problem • Low power
embracing trends towards faster delivery, these facilities quickly from a bare plot of Time
could eventually be eliminated. In terms of • Higher latency
urban fulfillment centers, and a longer peak land.
data quality, digital twins today must gather
season every year-end. This puts increased
As a single wireless technology capable data from a host of sources, both traditional 1991 2001 2009 2016 2019
pressure on the capacity of logistics facilities,
of covering a wide area and connecting a IT systems as well as an array of sensors in
both physically and digitally. Evolution to high-speed cellular Evolution to cellular LPWAN
myriad of devices, 5G could eliminate the the physical world. In the near future, the
After building fit-out, staffing up, and need for costly wiring and infrastructure that ideal wireless gateway, likely based on 5G
process engineering in any new logistics accompanies Wi-Fi networks. What’s more, but also capable of harmonizing signals and
Figure 45
facility, it remains costly and complex to the network slicing capability of 5G enables information from other next-generation
deploy a wireless network infrastructure. IT and facility teams to dynamically adjust wireless technologies, would help solve 2.4 LOW-POWER WIDE more powerful broadband cousins. They
Figure 43: Urban micro-fulfillment centers need wireless
5G offers the potential to reduce setup costs how much dedicated bandwidth is needed for the data quality issue by truly allowing the
AREA NETWORKS are designed to fill a big space in the next-
generation wireless ecosystem, offering the
networks as flexible as their operations. Source: DHL (2020)
and simplify the management of logistics their operations at any given time. collection of any types of data stream. Figure 44: Digital twins are in early use for port management
facilities. This is especially true for facilities 5G has probably been the most widely functionality of short-range technologies and design. Source: Siemens (2020)
Supply Chain Digital Twins publicized next-generation wireless like Bluetooth and RFID but working over Figure 45: Low-power wide area network technology is a
that may even need to be established at contributor to the evolution of cellular networks.
Perhaps the most ambitious application technology but it is not the only contender in distances measured in kilometers like more
relatively short notice, for example urban Source: DHL (2020)
of 5G in logistics is to create perfect, real- the race to connect the billions of devices that costly 4G and 5G mobile technologies.
fulfillment centers during the holiday season
time precision digital twins of supply will form the Internet of Things. A number of
like the one shown in figure 43 and logistics
chain facilities. A digital twin is a virtual Besides their low cost, another important
to serve construction and mining sites. alternatives have emerged, designed to match
representation of a unique physical asset benefit of LPWAN technologies over 5G is
Most spectacularly, 5G played a critical role the particular needs of IoT devices: low cost,
that allows for the visibility, management, their availability. Several LPWAN technologies
in building the Huoshenshan Hospital and low-power consumption, and high reliability.
and operation of both the digital and physical are already in widespread commercial use
Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan, China in
asset as one. Low-power wide area network (LPWAN) today, allowing users to link into existing
only ten and twelve days, respectively. From
technologies exploit the fact that IoT devices infrastructure. And where coverage is not yet
design plans to real-time coordination of Digital twins have become a revolutionary Figure 44 exchange much smaller quantities of data than available, it can often be introduced quickly
construction machinery via an industrial tool for the the aerospace, manufacturing, full-sized computers or multimedia-enabled and cheaply with a single base station being
internet platform, and from seamless engineering, and energy sectors to design, smartphones. As outlined in figure 45, LPWAN sufficient to connect an area the size of a city.
orchestration of materials from over 3,000 develop, build, and manage all aspects of a technologies are sometimes described as
Chinese companies to remote procedures physical product throughout its lifecycle. narrowband, to differentiate them from their
and communication practiced within the
26 27
Cellular-derived LPWANs NB-IoT LTE-M Coverage map of LPWAN technologies
One approach to the LPWAN is derived Data rate 60 kBit / s Data rate 375 kBit / s
from today’s mobile technologies. These
networks are designed to use the same Energy
Low
Energy
Low
Sigfox 70+ countries NB-IoT & LTE-M 58+ countries
consumption consumption
licensed spectrum that currently carries
4G data traffic, and to deliver services Range 40 km Range 100 km
The growth potential of LPWAN Data rate 100 Bit / s Data rate 50 kBit / s
technology has encouraged other Figure 50
Energy Energy
organizations to enter this space, offering consumption Very low consumption Very low
LPWAN Applications LPWAN Logistics Use Cases both indoors and outdoors and can help
solutions that operate over unlicensed
Range 50 km Range 50 km increase vehicle safety by reducing their speed
parts of the spectrum and work using LPWAN technologies are ideal for the simplest LPWAN technologies are used in a growing when entering critical zones. Similarly, as
their own infrastructure. The long range Infrastructure Proprietary Infrastructure Proprietary and cheapest connected devices, anywhere range of logistics and supply chain activities,
base stations base stations
seen in figure 51, over 1,000 ground support
of a single LPWAN base station makes investment investment
that the amounts of data exchanged are small but the killer apps relate to asset tracking and equipment vehicles at Istanbul Airport have
building a network from scratch far less and a short delay in communication has monitoring for greater supply chain visibility.
Availability 70 countries Availability 157 countries been equipped with LoRa-based tracking
costly than attempting to replicate a little impact on the service delivered. Major technology from Skysens to monitor their
conventional cellular network. Today, two application areas for these technologies
Logistics Asset Tracking &
Figure 48 Figure 49 location, condition, and usage to drive down
rival technologies have made significant ■ Sigfox offers a narrowband technology ■ LoRa is an open standard for LPWAN include a host of smart city use cases like
Monitoring
airport operational expenses.
inroads in this area, Sigfox and LoRa. using its own proprietary protocol. technology. Today, only one company energy and water metering applications Airport ramps are busy and complex
Through open source development, manufacturers the necessary chipsets but and controls for streetlights and similar environments where efficiency and
the company has been able to set the a certification program run by the LoRa infrastructure. LPWAN is being used for coordination of all ground support activities
standards for a 0G network with ultra- Alliance allows any organization to build remote machine monitoring and to run access are crucial to ensure flights leave on time and
low power and wide range. The company compatible devices. The organization says control systems in car parks and hotels. It in line with aviation safety. For both passenger
says that its network now works in 70 that its technology currently operates in is also ideal as a tracking technology, with and cargo airports, this can mean coordinating
countries, covering 5.3 million square 157 countries, with public and community inexpensive, long-lasting tags able to monitor thousands of ground support equipment items
kilometers of the Earth’s surface and a networks covering Europe, Asia, the the position and status of anything with a and vehicles. French IoT company Adveeze, Figure 51
population of 1.1 billion people. Americas, Australasia, and significant parts lifecycle in excess of five years – for example, for example, uses LoRa in an asset tracking
of the Middle East and Africa. rental bicycles, livestock, and pets. system for exactly this purpose at many Figure 50: A coverage map of Sigfox, LoRa, NB-IoT, and LTE-M.
Source: DHL (2020)
major airports around the world. The system
Figure 51: Asset tracking at Istanbul Airport using LoRa
Figure 46: Technical details of NB-IoT. Source: DHL (2020) Figure 47: Technical details of LTE-M. Source: DHL (2020) monitors the location of baggage handling technology. Source: IoT Business News (2019)
Figure 48: Technical details of Sigfox. Source: DHL (2020) Figure 49: Technical details of LoRa. Source: DHL (2020)
equipment, vehicles, and other mobile assets
28 29
Figure 53
Another value driver for asset tracking via Intelligent Fleet & Yard GPS tracking devices have been standard
LPWANs is loss prevention. Perhaps unknown Management equipment in commercial fleets for decades
outside post and parcel operations, roller now, but many fleet telemetry systems are
cages play a crucial role in the collection, If achieving visibility of logistics assets or outdated and costly compared to LPWAN-
sorting, transportation, and delivery of fleets by connecting them via LPWANs is the based new entrants. American company
millions of letters daily all around the world. first step, then the second is to orchestrate CalAmp has developed a suite of fleet
In Germany, DHL’s post and parcel business them differently and more effectively. In telemetry solutions based on GPS and more
is using a combination of Sigfox and Wi- China, DHL has partnered with Huawei to test recently LTE-M. Its LTE-M vehicle tracker
Fi technology to track the movement of an NB-IoT system designed to improve yard offers low power consumption in a small
over 250,000 roller cages throughout the management at a major automotive logistics form factor, making it ideal for non-powered
country’s mail and parcel network, like the site. In-ground sensors at warehouse assets like containers and swap bodies,
one seen in figure 54. Having complete dock doors, parking spaces, and staging as well as for rented and subcontracted
visibility of these assets not only helps lots feed operational data to a central fleets like the one in figure 53 which are
operational efficiency but also helps to yard management dashboard, helping to commonplace in many logistics networks.
prevent costly inventory shrinkage. orchestrate the movement of around 100
DHL drivers and vehicles as they manage the
inbound handling of parts headed for Figure 52: NB-IoT is one potential solution for intelligent
yard management in logistics. Source: DHL (2020)
car production lines.
Figure 53: LTE-M offers an economical, low-power, small
form-factor tracking solution for rented fleets.
The facility realized significant benefit too. Source: Volvo (2020)
Dispatching efficiency leapt by 87% on Figure 54: A roller cage equipped with a Sigfox tracking
average, aided by more agile responses device. Source: Sigfox (2019)
30 31
Until recently, satellite internet services Others are pursuing new satellite to launch a single satellite that will provide
have remained very expensive and this has technologies specifically for IoT applications. a twice-daily IoT connection to every point
limited their uptake, especially in the type Toronto-based Kepler Communications, on the Earth’s surface. Skylo uses existing
of IoT applications with the most to gain for example, is developing a constellation geostationary communication satellites to
from universal connectivity regardless of of LEO nanosatellites capable of providing deliver its new narrowband services, which
location. Today, however, satellite technology both broad and narrowband IoT connectivity. it says will cut the cost of satellite data
has advanced, allowing the development LPWAN provider Sigfox has announced plans connections by as much as 95%.
of smaller cheaper nanosatellite designs.
Moreover, the entry of private companies
such as SpaceX shown in figure 57 into the
commercial launch market has significantly
reduced the cost of delivering payloads into
orbit that can include multiple nanosatellites.
Figure 55
Even the longest-range wireless technologies orbit 35,786 kilometers above the equator, Data rate
144 Bit /
message
discussed so far in this report reach their where they move at the same speed as the
limits eventually, at distances of a few tens Earth’s rotation, appearing to remain in a Energy
consumption Medium
of kilometers. If network operators want to fixed position in the sky. A geostationary orbit
provide coverage over a wider area, they makes it easier for users on the ground to Range Everywhere
need to replicate their base stations at communicate using a fixed antenna but the
approach has some important limitations. Infrastructure Satellites
suitable intervals to divide the territory into investment
manageable cells. Because geostationary satellites fly above
the equator, the curvature of the Earth makes Availability Global
That approach runs into problems when them inaccessible to users in the far north
there is a need to provide connectivity to or south. And the long round-trip distances
remote or sparsely populated regions where taken by radio signals increases latency to
Figure 56
it is technically impossible or economically half a second or more, a delay that can be LEO satellites travel extremely fast, orbiting
unfeasible to provide the necessary annoying to users and which makes some the Earth in around 100 minutes. Providing a
infrastructure. The solution to this challenge internet services unusable. consistent connection to the ground requires
lies in the sky. Man-made satellites have been a constellation of craft that share the job
used in communications since the 1960s, and A more recent alternative to geostationary between them. The Iridium network, one of
commercial satellite internet services have satellites are systems that use satellites in the first LEO communications networks, has
been available since the early 2000s. low-Earth orbit (LEO). These satellites fly just around 82 operational satellites, for example.
a few hundred kilometers above the earth,
reducing both latency and the power needed
for wireless transmission.
Figure 57
Figure 55: Example of a geostationary satellite. Source: Wired (2020) Figure 57: SpaceX has lowered the entry bar to the satellite launch market. Source: The Nation (2019)
Figure 56: Technical details of global area networks. Source: DHL (2020) Figure 58: Satellites covering the Earth with wireless connectivity. Source: Via Satellite (2020)
32 33
Chapter 3
Figure 59
Global Area Network Use Cases Already today in Indonesia, DHL and Skylo like wind turbines and oil rigs are equipped
in Logistics are exploring how to bring visibility to with basic connectivity for remote access,
domestic sea freight. The objective is to this is not always the case and, even when it
Figure 60
34 35
The fully connected Next-generation wireless
technologies will enable total
future of logistics Up to 50 km
visibility, large-scale autonomy,
WIDE AREA NETWORKS
Global
low power and predictability for supply
SATELLITE NETWORKS chains.
Up to 500 m
Smart roads
& autonomous
transport
10 cm to 100 m
Precision
robotics SHORT-RANGE
Outdoor
management
asset TECHNOLOGIES
tracking
Ocean
freight
Up to 100 m visibility
LOCAL AREA Wearables & bionic
enhancement
NETWORKS
Predictive logistics
control tower
powered by end-
to-end visibility
36 37
3.1 TOTAL VISIBILITY, A visualization of these capabilities can be Autonomy will bring significant benefits to
LARGE-SCALE seen in figure 63. the industry’s workforce too. The logistics
sector will still require plenty of people but
AUTONOMY & As distribution centers steadily grow in size,
their jobs are likely to become safer, less
PERFECTING PREDICTION complexity, and SKU quantity year after year,
physically demanding, and less repetitive.
next-generation wireless technologies will
In warehouses, for example, autonomous
Much of the future shape of the logistics help logistics companies drive up efficiency
mobile robots and forklifts will take care
sector will build upon trends already by accelerating the pace of automation. In
of point-to-point horizontal movements of
emerging today. In a recent survey of 700 warehouses, wireless local area networks
Figure 62 goods as well as even vertical movements for
supply chain leaders conducted by DHL, will provide the connectivity needed to pass
picking and storage, empowering workers
75% stated that achieving true end-to-end movements and last-mile deliveries. As instructions between human operators,
to focus on higher-order tasks. Last-mile
visibility across all transport modes is their wireless technologies continue to evolve and mobile robots, edge servers, and the cloud
delivery vans will still carry human crew
most significant challenge at present. Large tracking solutions continue to decrease in seamlessly in real time. They will allow
but much of the driving may be automated,
enterprises and their logistics providers price, up-to-the-minute location information machines to communicate with one another
allowing staff to focus on interactions with
already run control towers; these provide a about delivery vehicles and shipments will to avoid conflicts and coordinate their
customers and communities.
centralized, high-level overview of network become common, helping to improve the actions.
operations like the one in figure 62. Universal management of assets and the predictability For every supply chain and logistics
connectivity could supercharge these of deliveries. Universal connectivity will Fast, reliable wide area networks like 5G,
operation, perfect predictability is the
facilities to become mission control centers extend the geographic reach of those meanwhile, will allow automation to be
ultimate goal. Companies want advanced
for remote monitoring of every shipment capabilities significantly, allowing precise extended further into the world. Autonomous
warning of where, when, and how their
and asset movement. They could include identification of asset location even in distant vehicles will become increasingly common
customers would like to receive products
sophisticated alert systems that allow places and monitoring of marine shipments beyond the four walls of the warehouse
and services, as this allows them to schedule
companies to intervene and take action as in the remotest parts of the ocean. US startup where adoption is scaling up today. Their
production and distribution appropriately. In
potential problems emerge. Spire Global is already today leveraging a usage in ports, industrial parks, and
recent years and across all industries there
constellation of nanosatellites, data analytics, warehouse yards will eventually give rise to
has been profound growth in understanding
End customers and fleet managers can their use on public roads.
and machine learning to deliver ocean vessel of supply chain performance. In a recent DHL Figure 64
already exploit improved visibility of freight
tracking in an anticipatory manner. survey, the use of smart forecasting systems This predictability revolution will enhance many decisions to be taken autonomously.
and advanced analytics technologies remains almost every aspect of supply chain planning Companies will adopt no-touch planning
among the top three priorities as supply and operations illustrated in figure 64. approaches and self-driving supply chains
chain leaders seek to improve the speed Facility and fleet managers will be able to that sense changes and automatically adapt
and accuracy of planning processes and move beyond today’s scheduled and reactive to normal levels of variability. That will free
the responsiveness of operational decision monitoring approaches to embrace true up human supply chain managers to focus
making. predictive maintenance: fixing vehicles, on strategic decision making, long-term
infrastructure, and sortation machinery continuous improvement, and managing
Next-generation wireless networks will
before they break down, for example. only exceptional events that algorithms
dramatically improve the availability of every
Transport operations will combine real-time cannot handle.
kind of supply chain data, from customer
movements with information from advanced
demand signals to the precise location
supply chain risk management tools, such as
and condition of assets and inventory in
the DHL Resilience360 platform, to identify
production and distribution networks.
the most reliable, timely, and cost-efficient
The promise of universal connectivity at
lane for every shipment.
near-zero latency will allow companies to
receive, process, and analyze significantly Logistics and supply chain networks will
larger complex datasets much more rapidly be connected with powerful AI systems
Figure 62: Next-generation wireless technologies will
and at lower cost than current IoT systems. to interpret the influx of data collected amplify the remote monitoring effectiveness of logistics
control towers. Source: Supply Chain Beyond (2018)
The ability to collect larger, more complete from next-generation wireless networks.
Figure 63: Greater track-and-trace visibility on the high
datasets is foundational to creating better Outputs will then feed into robotics process seas, thanks to next-generation wireless.
predictive capabilities. automation software tools, and this will allow Source: TechCrunch (2017)
Figure 63
38 39
security by design is an important philosophy Infrastructure Availability When applications involve significant cross- consumer applications, benefit significantly
to consider when selecting any IoT solution. border movement of connected devices, from the presence of better infrastructure,
Logistics activities often take place across large companies need to analyze the implications of cheaper hardware, and a larger ecosystem of
Malevolent actors don’t have to break into geographical areas. Applications that rely on roaming costs carefully. Some network access vendors.
a wireless network to cause problems. wireless connectivity must ensure that the providers are responding to demand for
Specialized radio equipment can be used chosen technology is available everywhere it international tracking solutions by providing
Regulatory Approval
to jam local wireless networks by flooding is needed. Narrowband WAN solutions such as global SIM cards with a flat-rate access charge While most of today’s major next-generation
the appropriate frequencies with noise or LoRa require end users to install and run their wherever they are used. wireless technologies are based on global
meaningless data. In February 2020, Berlin own network base stations, but many next-
standards, the regulatory environment for
artist Simon Weckert successfully faked a traffic generation wireless technologies rely on third- Standards & Protocols
wireless technologies remains extremely
jam. As shown in figure 66, he transported 99 party infrastructure like the LoRa gateway shown
As with any fast-moving area of technology, fragmented. Radio spectrum availability,
smartphones on city streets while each of them in figure 67.
next-generation wireless is seeing an for example, varies by region. That means
simultaneously used Google Maps to highlight
As they plan the roll out of new wireless solutions, explosion of innovation. New solutions are companies may need to use different
the risks of technology dependence in modern
companies will need to select an approach that flooding onto the market, with providers hardware in different parts of their supply
Figure 65
society. More sophisticated spoofing attacks
fits their supply chain requirements. That calls offering products based on established chain. Devices that are required to operate
use tailored transmissions to deliver erroneous
3.2 RISKS & CHALLENGES together with a suitable infrastructure for
information to local devices. In the maritime for careful assessment of the current reach of and emerging standards or on their own anywhere in the world may need to employ
else entirely. The root cause of 50% of all development plans. Where no solution provides
proliferation of offerings will bring The process of gaining approval for the
It is important to realize this compelling casualties at sea is navigation issues resulting complete coverage, the application must find a
Solutions to the power challenge are under back uncomfortable memories of early operation of devices and networks is even
future of total visibility, widespread in collisions and unintended groundings. way to fill the gap. This might involve the use of
development. The Singapore-based start-up experiments with RFID, where lack of more convoluted. Despite pressure for
autonomy, and perfect predictability in Approaches like these are already used to a secondary wireless technology along with a
Transferfi has developed a wireless power standardization hampered widespread standardization, countries have widely
the logistics industry will not happen interfere with GPS signals. To reduce the impact process that accommodates partial or complete
system, shown in figure 65, delivering adoption of a promising technology. The differing test and certification requirements,
automatically. As outlined earlier in this of such attacks, systems relying on wireless offline operation.
sufficient power to multi-sensor devices same risks surround the selection of next- forcing wireless devices to undergo a lengthy
report, we can already see the technological infrastructure will need to be designed to cope
up to 55 meters away. The company says Network Access & Roaming Costs generation wireless technologies, and no and sometimes costly approval process
breakthroughs, favorable cost and with service interruptions and to identify and
that its approach halves the installed cost organization wants to invest in an approach for every territory of intended operation.
performance trends, and steady march handle potentially erroneous data. The use of third-party wireless infrastructure
of IoT sensors and cuts installation time by that will prove difficult to scale up and support Most of this regulatory burden will fall
towards the end of unconnected. But any such as 5G and Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)
80%. Other companies such as IoT startup in the long term. on hardware companies rather than end
organization hoping to adopt next-generation networks requires compatibility with the
Wiliot are developing energy-harvesting users but any company wishing to roll out
wireless technologies at scale must consider chipsets in IoT devices; they must be capable While it is impossible to know if any given
technologies that can generate electricity a wireless solution internationally must
the following challenges and potential risks. of running on different frequencies. Those technology will succeed in the market,
from ambient heat, light, vibration, and establish whether the proposed hardware is
electromagnetic radiation. frequencies vary not only by technology but companies can maximize the probability
Power acceptable in every targeted country.
also from country to country. Assuming there is of success by choosing approaches that
Wireless devices need power and the Security technical interoperability, companies must pay meet two basic tests. First, the underlying
more data they share the more power they each network operator for access, typically on technology used by the solution should be
Logistics services depend upon trust.
consume. As logistics organizations ramp up a country level and, for international access, via based on a published standard supported Figure 67
Shippers entrust their goods, and their Figure 66
the number of IoT devices in their networks, the operator’s roaming agreements with other by one of the major international industry
reputations, to their service providers on the
keeping everything switched on and providers, which is not always straightforward groups or standards bodies such as the IEEE,
assurance that products will be protected
adequately charged will become a significant and may incur substantial cost. 3GPP, or Bluetooth SIG. Picking a proprietary
in transit and delivered safely and securely
challenge. approach requires careful balancing of the
to their destination. Wirelessly connected In some regions, such as the EU, extra potential benefits of the technology against
For data loggers on shipments and beacons supply chains will become tempting targets costs for roaming are limited by law but in the risks of being unable to scale or becoming
on simple assets such as containers and roller for cybercriminals who may try to intercept other regions there may be no control and locked-in to a specific vendor. Second, there
cages, we cannot assume the availability communication to gather information on expenditure can quickly escalate. Logistics, should be evidence that the chosen approach
of an external power source. Complicating goods and customers, and disrupt networks which tends to be a high-volume, low-margin has significant traction within the logistics
things further is the infinitely varying lifecycle to interfere with operations. Poorly secured activity, is particularly sensitive to any source sector and beyond it. Technologies with
and value of each IoT asset to be tracked. IoT equipment has already been exploited of additional cost. Excessive roaming charges
Figure 65: The Transferfi Wireless Power Network. other major markets, especially high-volume
Wireless devices need sufficient onboard by criminal groups. As these devices play an Source: Transferfi (2020)
could undermine the business case for some
storage or power generation capacity, ever more critical role in business activities, Figure 66: ‘Google Maps Hack’ by artist Simon Weckert
connectivity applications.
draws attention to the risks of depending on technology.
Source: Simon Weckert (2020) Figure 67: Off-the-shelf LoRa gateways. Source: Sensing Labs (2020)
40 41
3.3 IMPLEMENTING started using next-generation wireless connectivity to drive improvements in the
NEXT-GENERATION technologies in your supply chain? quality, efficiency, and flexibility of their
supply chains.
WIRELESS IN YOUR These technologies are set to impact every
SUPPLY CHAIN supply chain and, while simply upgrading If your business is considering such a journey,
network infrastructure and IT assets will here are six key checks to set you on the right
Having considered the potential future, as bring in some next-generation technology path.
well as obstacles that must still be overcome, by default, many organizations will seek
one question remains: How can you get to actively exploit the benefits of universal
1
Start with the Business
Case 2
Choose the Right Wireless
Technology 3
Assume Some Assembly
Required 4
Data Quality & Device
Durability 5
Platforming & Future
Proofing 6
Governance, Culture &
Capabilities
Technology investments don’t automatically The choice of next-generation wireless In most logistics applications, IoT solutions The value of IoT comes from the The first use case for any next-generation When new technologies fail to deliver
deliver business benefits, especially in technologies is determined by the underlying that leverage next-generation wireless organization’s ability to change the way it wireless technology is unlikely to be the on their promise, the root cause is often
high-volume, narrow-margin industries connectivity requirements: The bandwidth technologies will not be plug and play. works based on analysis of new sources of last. While immediate business benefits human. Innovations require people to
like logistics. Organizations need a clear, and coverage required and the resources Often systems will be built largely from data. But excitement about the high-level of new deployments can be compelling, change, developing new skills, adopting new
quantifiable business case against which they available to deliver them. off-the-shelf products and components but potential of new connected approaches can every organization should keep an eye on processes, and adapting long-established
can measure the costs and benefits of any organizations will need to assemble unique lead companies to underestimate or ignore their future needs by building reusable working methods. Connected logistics will be
■ Bandwidth: What volume of data (both
next-generation wireless application. combinations of hardware and software to the challenges of deploying a reliable sensor infrastructure that can be easily reapplied no different.
upstream and downstream) will devices
meet their specific needs. Similarly, where network. to new use cases without extensive re-
■ What is the primary objective of the need to share? ■ How will we ensure our organization has
global supply chains cover long distances, programming.
application? Cost reduction? Revenue ■ Do we understand the capabilities the capabilities it needs to deploy and
■ Latency: How much is tolerable – do you multiple technologies may be required.
generation? Customer satisfaction? and limitations of the sensors in our ■ How are our requirements for support new wireless technologies?
need real-time data, near real-time, or
Quality control? ■ Will more than one wireless technology network? bandwidth, users, and numbers of
at intervals of minutes, hours, or days? ■ How will our organizational structure,
be needed to meet our requirements? device likely to scale up over time?
■ What is the monetary value of the ■ How will we manage missing or processes, and management systems
■ Range: If two things must exchange How will these technologies work
application to your organization? erroneous data? ■ Do we have a centralized IT platform need to change?
information, how far apart might they together?
easily capable of hosting and
■ What is the minimum level of visibility be? ■ Are our field devices sufficiently ■ How will we give our people the know-
■ What infrastructure will be required supporting the desired use cases of the
or connectivity required to deliver the protected from dust, moisture, and how and motivation to make the most of
■ Coverage: What amount is required – to operate the network? Will this be organization?
proposed benefits? extremes of temperature? new approaches?
indoors or outdoors; local, regional, or operated in house or by an external
■ Are we ready to extend our capabilities
■ What do you intend to do differently global? service provider? Upstream insights from devices in the ■ How will we enable the organization
and infrastructure to encompass
with the insights and data you collect? field are only useful if they can be acted to create new business from the data
■ Power: For how long must devices
■ Which technology types already exist alternative use cases, different data,
upon downstream. The ability to maintain collected?
■ How could the organization build on operate on stored energy? When, where, in our organization’s infrastructure? and/or new types of device?
devices in the field, collect data reliably,
the initial business case to create more and how will batteries be recharged and Do we have the experience and skills to Supply chain leaders wanting to make most
and act on it effectively without any gaps is
value over a longer term? replaced? manage them? effective use of next-generation wireless
critical to a holistic next-generation wireless
technologies will ideally empower their
Logistics professionals should resist the shiny ■ Accuracy: How precise must the data One unsung hero in many IoT solutions is deployment.
organizations to discover new ways to
new object appeal of technology and focus be about a given use case or problem end-device firmware. Highly fast and efficient
succeed through upskilling, training, and
their next-generation wireless investments you’re trying to solve? next-generation wireless networks will not
fundamentally raising the capabilities of
on clear goals such as optimizing or reducing deliver the full value of an IoT solution if the
Many technologies have similar applications their organization in the long term. At best,
asset costs and increasing customer on-device firmware is inefficient or fails to
and capabilities. Indoor localization, for the right setup of next-generation wireless
retention through better service quality from report data as efficiently as the network.
example, can be solved by multiple different technologies and IoT will empower the
visibility tools.
approaches including but not limited to Ultra- organization to create new business models
wideband (UWB), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. It is and revenue streams from the data and
important to understand the capabilities of insights these systems generate.
each and consider which is the most realistic
for your operations in terms of coverage,
cost, and existing infrastructure.
42 43
Chapter 4 While much of this forecasted growth will
be achieved using technologies that are
familiar to many of us today, truly universal
■ Wi-Fi will enable more efficient, more
automated warehouses, overcoming
today’s capacity limitations and gaining
Capturing these benefits will require
organizations to take a systematic approach
to their investments. It will be essential to
connectivity will require approaches that new capabilities – such as the ability identify the most appropriate use cases for
can offer new capabilities, including higher to precisely locate objects in complex new wireless technologies and then build a
capacity, greater reach, faster speeds, better indoor environments. robust business case for each. The next vital
energy efficiency, and lower costs. Next- step is to select the right combination of
■ 5G mobile technology will power
generation wireless is a broad portfolio of technologies to achieve business objectives
hyper-connected factories and logistics
technologies promising to deliver on each and decide how to source and run new
campuses, and be a key enabler for
of these diverse – and often competing – hardware, infrastructure, and services.
autonomous transport.
objectives And it will be critically important to adapt
■ Low-Power Wide Area Networks the organization’s capabilities, business
The logistics industry relies upon the efficient
(LPWANs) will provide basic processes, and culture.
coordination of large numbers of people,
connectivity to more of the world and
assets, goods, and materials. As such, it While the logistics sector is already taking
allow wireless assets powered by
stands to benefit significantly from a more significant steps to incorporate wireless
batteries and by energy harvesting
powerful, accessible Internet of Things (IoT). connectivity and IoT, we believe there has
technologies to operate unattended for
Every category of next-generation wireless never been a better time to explore the
months and years.
technology is likely to find its place in the opportunities offered by next-generation
world of logistics. ■ Low-Power Global Area Networks wireless technologies. We look forward to
(LPGANs) will use satellites to extend collaborating with you to implement this
■ Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
connectivity to the remotest corners of exciting new wave of IoT in your supply chain,
will enjoy a revival in warehouses and
the world. and together embarking on the journey to
other controlled environments, giving
connect everyone, everything, everywhere.
companies a faster, more accurate way
Next-generation wireless technologies hold
to track assets and shipments. On behalf of DHL, we hope you have enjoyed
great promise for the logistics sector. They
Large-scale digital connectivity is an extraordinary technological tap on a mobile phone. and execution. They could even enable the
creation of entirely new processes, services,
and societal success story. Half the population of the world can ■ Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons and business models.
now access the internet and most individuals do so using wireless will allow local logistics infrastructure,
connections. The next chapter of the story promises even more. In assets, and shipments to communicate
seamlessly with each other.
the coming years, wireless connectivity will reach millions more
people and billions more devices, paving the way for a dramatic
expansion in digital services and IoT applications.
44 45
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Some specifications may vary by country/region or future releases.
46 47
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screen-on-zoom
stock-152849066.html being built into lighting systems. Technical details of NB-IoT. thanks to next-generation wireless.
Figure 6: TechCrunch (2019) https://enterpriseiotinsights.com/20191210/ https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/
Figure 20: Fetch Robotics (2019) Figure 47: DHL (2020)
Google plans to bring its Google Assistant to feature channels/news/signify-installs-smart-lighting- uploads/2017/08/ship-traffic-pacific.
Fetch Robotics has developed an autonomous mobile Technical Details of LTE-M.
phones in India via a free hotline. system-automotive-facility-germany png?w=1390&crop=1
robot equipped with RFID readers to automate
https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/18/google- Figure 48: DHL (2020)
inventory stock counting. Figure 34: Kinexon (2020) Figure 64: Bosch Industry Consulting (2020)
assistant-no-internet-india/ Technical Details of Sigfox.
https://fetchrobotics.com/fetch-robotics-blog/fetch- German startup Kinexon has a portfolio of indoor Next-generation wireless networks greatly improve
Figure 7: Augury (2020) robotics-expands-tagsurveyor-to-provide-customers- positioning systems based on ultra-wideband for Figure 49: DHL (2020) the availability of every kind of supply chain data.
Whether designed-in or retrofitted, industrial with-real-time-inventory-visualization/ industrial applications. Technical Details of LoRa. https://www.bosch-industry-consulting.com/media/
machinery is increasingly becoming connected to the https://kinexon.com/technology/real-time-locating- images/erde_netzwerk_16zu9.png
Figure 21: DHL (2020) Figure 50: DHL (2020)
Internet of Things. system-rtls
Technical details of NFC technology. A coverage map of Sigfox, LoRa, NB-IoT, and LTE-M. Figure 65: Transferfi (2020)
https://iot.do/augury-oem-industrial-iot-2016-09
Figure 35: Bloomberg (2016) The Transferfi Wireless Power Network.
Figure 22: 9to5Mac (2020) Figure 51: IoT Business News (2019)
Figure 8: BD Tech Talks (2020) Managing the flow of logistics assets in complex https://www.electronics-lab.com/wp-content/
NFC is the technology behind mobile contactless Asset tracking at Istanbul Airport using LoRa
VR and AR will raise the bar, making new wireless indoor environments is boosted by UWB-based real- uploads/2020/05/TFI-Sense-Turin-1.jpg
payments thanks to its short transmission range. technology .
connectivity demands in order to render high- time location systems.
https://9to5mac.com/2019/10/16/apple-pay-eu- https://iotbusinessnews.com/2019/06/20/06031- Figure 66: Simon Weckert (2020)
resolution graphics and video content. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/
antitrust/ semtechs-lora-technology-connects-thousands-of- Google Maps Hack’ by artist Simon Weckert draws
https://bdtechtalks.com/2019/01/31/augmented- articles/2016-07-14/germany-wins-eu-court-
assets-at-istanbul-airport attention to the risks of depending on technology.
reallity-dominant-immersive-technology/ Figure 23: DHL (2018) challenge-over-deutsche-post-aid-clawback
http://www.simonweckert.com/googlemapshacks.
This DHL SmartSensor uses an NFC-based logger to Figure 52: DHL (2020)
Figure 9: Vodafone (2020) Figure 36: DHL (2019) html
track the temperature of sensitive shipments across NB-IoT is one potential solution for intelligent yard
Bringing connectivity everywhere presents a UWB offers the potential to optimize facility layout and
the supply chain. management in logistics. Figure 67: Sensing Labs (2020)
significant geographical challenge for the logistics thereby boost productivity.
Off-the-shelf LoRa gateways.
industry. Figure 24: DHL (2020) Figure 53: Volvo Trucks (2020)
Figure 37: DHL (2020) https://sensing-labs.com/pico-gateway-and-8-
https://www.vodafone.com/what-we-do/services/ Technical details of Bluetooth Low-Energy. LTE-M offers an economical, low-power, small form-
Technical details of 5G. channels/
roaming/maritime/vodafone-near-shore factor tracking solution for rented fleets.
Figure 25: Fitbit (2020)
Figure 38: Nikkei Asian Review (2019) https://www.volvotrucks.us/our-difference/uptime-
Figure 10: Divvy (2017) Bluetooth is the technology behind many mainstay
5G-capable phones are becoming available from all and-connectivity/fleet-management/
Next-generation wireless must enable end users, wireless accessories such as headphones,
major smartphone makers.
professional or private, to deploy a host of applications smartwatches, and other smartphone and computer Figure 54: DHL (2019)
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/5G-networks/
seamlessly and reliably anywhere in the world. peripherals. A roller cage equipped with a Sigfox tracking device.
Sources-Google-set-to-release-5G-smartphone-
https://www.divvyparking.com/what-smart-cities- https://dev.fitbit.com/blog/2017-09-26-fitbit-sdk-
ahead-of-Apple Figure 55: Wired (2020)
and-what-future-do-they-offer-us/ preview-get-started/
Figure 39: BD Desintations (2019) Example of a geostationary satellite.
Figure 11: DHL (2020) Figure 26: Mobile Industrial Robots (2015) https://www.wired.com/story/can-these-small-
South Korea is the first country with widespread
A diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum, An MiR picking robot with the ability to open doors satellites-solve-the-riddle-of-internet-from-space/
wpublic 5G.
highlighting the bands capable of data transmission. and use elevators with the help of Bluetooth beacons.
https://www.businessdestinations.com/destinations/ Figure 56: DHL (2020)
https://www.mobile-industrial-robots.com/de/
Figure 12: DHL (2020) mind-body-and-seoul-south-koreas-thriving-mice- Technical details of global area networks.
solutions/mirgo/products/iconsys-iam-r/
Ookla’s Speedtest app can be used to test connectivity capital/
performance on any device. Figure 27: DHL (2020) Figure 57: Wired (2017)
Figure 40: Vodafone (2020) SpaceX has lowered the entry bar to the satellite
The combination of BLE tags and a “mother” GSM
Figure 13: DHL (2020) Lufthansa Technical Services and Vodafone have launch market. https://www.wired.com/story/spacex-
sensor from Roambee allows logistics operators
Industries at different stages of adopting digital partnered to bring 5G into aircraft maintenance launches-its-12th-resupply-mission-to-the-iss/
to track multi-piece shipments with unparalleled
technology. operations.
visibility.
https://www.vodafone.de/newsroom/netz/vodafone-
und-lufthansa-starte-5g-campus-netz/
48 49
Further Information Recommended Reading
e-mail: Markus.Kueckelhaus@dhl.com
Ben Gesing
Global Head of Trend Research
e-mail: Ben.Gesing@dhl.com
Christopher Fuss
Head of SmartSensor IoT
e-mail: christopher.fuss@dhl.com
AUTHORS
Philipp Meller
Jonathan Ward
Ben Gesing
Please download our trend reports from www.dhl.com/innovation
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