The comprehensive applications of 5G in the world of Utilities

5G as an enabler of digital utilities

The transition to digital utilities is in full swing: smart grids, IoT devices, predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring are redefining processes and business models. In this scenario, connectivity becomes a critical success factor. Current technologies (GPRS, 4G, LoRaWAN) offer extensive coverage but have limitations in terms of speed, latency and the ability to manage large volumes of data in real time.

5G, on the other hand, is designed to enable large-scale machine-to-machine communication, with performance that allows millions of distributed sensors and devices to be connected, while ensuring data reliability and security.

Smart grids and connected infrastructure

Utilities today face a challenge: integrating increasingly complex, heterogeneous and distributed networks. 5G offers a concrete response thanks to three key features:

• High speed and low latency: essential for real-time applications such as remote plant control, dynamic network regulation or automatic response to faults and anomalies.
• Massive IoT connectivity: the ability to manage millions of devices per square kilometre, enabling complete network digitalisation.
• Network slicing: the creation of “virtual portions” of the network dedicated to specific services or operators, ensuring customised and secure performance levels.

These elements make 5G an enabler for smart grids – electricity, water and heating networks capable of self-regulating and optimising energy or resource flows based on actual demand.

Concrete applications of 5G in the world of utilities

The introduction of 5G into public service infrastructure is not simply an improvement in connectivity: it is an enabler for new operating and management models. Its characteristics – ultra-broadband, minimal latency and massive management of IoT devices – pave the way for a set of concrete applications that are already transforming the way utilities monitor, control and distribute their resources.

1. Advanced remote control and real-time automation

With 5G, utilities can implement distributed automation systems capable of reacting in milliseconds to changes in load, pressure, voltage or flow rate. In electricity networks, this allows for dynamic balancing of energy supply and demand, improving stability and reducing outages. In water or gas networks, reduced latency allows immediate remote control of valves and flow sensors, with automated intervention capabilities in the event of leaks or anomalies. In essence, 5G enables real-time supervision of extensive, interconnected networks, making them more resilient and reliable.

4 - Electric mobility and energy communities

5G is a key element for integrating electric mobility and energy communities into the overall energy system. Electric vehicle charging networks require instant communications to coordinate energy flows, balance loads, and prevent overloads. Similarly, in local energy communities, 5G enables the synchronization of energy flows between producers and consumers, fostering collective self-consumption models and intelligent management of microgrids. Ultimately, this enables advanced vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and demand response services, essential for the stability of the electricity system.

5 - Security, Video Surveillance, and Environmental Monitoring

Utility critical infrastructures require increasingly higher security standards. 5G supports high-resolution video surveillance systems and intelligent video analytics based on artificial intelligence, capable of detecting intrusions, fires, or abnormal events in real time. At the same time, 5G-connected environmental sensors enable constant monitoring of environmental parameters—air quality, emissions, noise, vibrations—integrating physical and environmental security. These applications not only protect infrastructure, but also improve regulatory compliance and transparency for citizens.

6 - Field Operations and Augmented Reality

Another area of ​​development involves the use of 5G to support field operators. Thanks to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), technicians can receive real-time instructions, diagrams, and data overlaid on the operating environment through 5G-connected headsets or tablets. This speeds up interventions, reduces errors, and also enables remote training of technical personnel on complex systems. The result is a more efficient, safe, and digitally connected workforce.

Strategic benefits and challenges for operators

The adoption of 5G is not just a technological upgrade: it represents a paradigm shift for data governance and operational resilience.

Among the main advantages:

• Greater operational efficiency: reduced response times, lower maintenance costs, and workflow optimization.
• Greater service reliability: constant monitoring and the ability to automatically intervene in the event of anomalies.
• Scalability and flexibility: the 5G network dynamically adapts to operational needs, ensuring high performance even in critical contexts.
• New business models: advanced services for customers and energy communities, proactive consumption management, and integration with cloud and AI platforms.

Despite its potential, however, the adoption of 5G requires a strategic vision and a well-planned transition phase. The main obstacles concern coverage and infrastructure, as 5G network availability is not yet uniform across the country; initial implementation costs, due to the need to update field devices and management platforms; and security and compliance, to ensure data protection and the continuity of critical services. Collaboration between carriers, network operators, and technology providers will therefore be essential to developing sustainable and interoperable models.

5G and Utilities: an evolutionary path toward the network of the future

5G is more than a technology: it enables intelligent ecosystems, where every sensor, meter, and system becomes an active part of a connected and adaptive network. For utilities, this means moving from a reactive logic to predictive, integrated, and data-driven management.

The challenge is not just connecting infrastructure, but networking the value of data to build more efficient, sustainable, and customer-centric services. 5G, in this sense, represents the technological foundation on which to build the next generation of intelligent utilities.