Smarter, smaller, and ultra-efficient hardware: This 5G Update Will Empower the Future of IoT! 

As IoT continues to expand in scale and performance expectations, one question becomes unavoidable: Is the future of IoT limited by connectivity or the chips powering it?

In reality, it's both. Connectivity defines how fast and reliably devices can talk. Hardware defines how efficiently and intelligently they can do it. Currently, neither legacy networks nor traditional silicon are keeping pace with the demands of modern IoT.

As systems grow more complex, especially in sectors like healthcare, logistics, and industrial automation, the limitations of 4G and Wi-Fi are becoming increasingly visible. These networks weren’t designed for dense, real-time, low-power environments.

How 5G Unlocks the Full Potential of IoT

Here, 5G comes not just as an evolution of 4G; it’s a revolution in wireless communication, designed to enable ultra-low latency (1ms), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable networks (URLLC). Unlike previous generations, 5G was built with IoT in mind, supporting applications like autonomous vehicles, smart factories, and remote robotic surgery in real time.

To understand how 5G addresses the diverse requirements of IoT systems, the table below outlines the key technologies enabling performance, scale, and reliability across different use cases:

The following comparison highlights how 5G outperforms 4G across core network metrics, making it a better fit for real-time, high-density, and high-mobility IoT environments:

What makes 5G practical for compact, low-power IoT devices? It starts with smarter specifications—and even smarter silicon. From streamlined network protocols to ultra-efficient chip designs, the latest innovations are making scalable, battery-friendly IoT not just possible, but deployable.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s driving this transformation. 

5G RedCap: The Engine for Scalable IoT

5G RedCap (NR‑Light), introduced in 3GPP Release 17, is optimized for mid-tier IoT devices, like wearables, industrial sensors, and smart meters, that require reliable connectivity without the complexity or cost of full 5G. RedCap achieves this through:

• Reduced bandwidth (20 MHz in FR1)
• Simplified RF chains (single Rx/Tx, minimal MIMO support)
• Energy-saving modes (extended DRX cycles)
• Moderate throughput (~10–170 Mbps) with sub‑second latency
  
  

 These enhancements significantly lower hardware and power requirements, enabling long-lasting, large-scale IoT networks that exceed the capabilities of 4G while avoiding the overhead of full NR.

While RedCap defines the network-side efficiency for scaled IoT, it’s equally important that device-level hardware keeps pace. That’s where recent advances in ultra-low-power chip design come in.

MIT’s Chip: Enabling Lean 5G IoT Deployment

According to IEEE Spectrum, MIT engineers have developed a frequency-hopping 5G RedCap receiver with breakthrough performance. It operates on under 1 mW of power and achieves over 30 times better interference rejection than traditional narrowband IoT receivers. The chip leverages an N-path switched-capacitor front end, enabling dynamic frequency tuning across a wide range while rejecting external signals before amplification. Built on standard 22 nm CMOS technology, this minimalist design shrinks footprint and cost, making true 5G RedCap receivers feasible for battery-powered, dense IoT scenarios.

To see the real-world impact of these advancements, let’s explore how they could transform one of the most demanding and high-stakes environments: modern healthcare.

Real-Life Scenario: Smarter and Seamless Healthcare

In tomorrow’s hospitals, patients won’t need to be hooked to bulky monitors. Instead, compact health patches will continuously track vital signs and alert doctors in real-time, without constant recharging or manual checks. Thousands of devices will operate simultaneously, without signal dropouts or delays, enabling faster diagnoses, proactive care, and fewer emergencies.

This level of responsiveness and reliability, once impossible due to power and connectivity constraints, is now within reach, reshaping how healthcare is delivered, monitored, and managed at scale.