The utility industry faces unprecedented pressure to innovate and evolve to meet growing demands for capacity, reliability, and advanced capabilities. Forward-thinking utility firms are already applying early Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities to modernize their infrastructure and streamline operations. However, IoT’s full potential to transform the utilities sector is far from fully realized.

A lack of reliable and ubiquitous network connectivity across the expansive geographic footprint of utility infrastructure is one of the primary obstacles to IoT innovation. Fortunately, the emergence of 5G wireless technologies makes it much more practical and cost-effective for utility firms to deploy IoT devices at scale across an expansive and diverse set of operational environments.

The combined power of IoT and 5G technologies will empower utilities to accelerate existing digital transformation initiatives while also opening the door to innovation opportunities that were previously impossible. However, utilities must also balance the pressure to innovate quickly with their responsibility to ensure the security of critical infrastructure and meet the industry’s highly demanding regulatory requirements.

In this paper, we will explore the transformational capabilities that are unlocked by IoT and 5G, the potential security and compliance obstacles that utility firms may encounter, and practical strategies for embracing IoT and 5G securely.