Page 27 - EngineerIT June 2022

ICT – INTERNET OF THINGS

making capabilities to a larger area or can unlock solutions built for tomorrow’s business.
even geography. The V2X concept is based on the premise that connected vehicles are connected to
With the introduction of 5G, edge IoT enabled smart infrastructure around them. Imagine if traffic lights are smart- enabled
computing devices will be able to in urban living areas. As you drive past, these will receive live traffic congestion data via
communicate at much faster speeds, other connected vehicles; this data is then further processed through a mesh network
which will open up the ability to made up of vehicle edge computing and smart devices that are all interconnected.
create super-fast mesh networks made The result is a smart grid system where traffic lights (for example) will dynamically
up of edge computers that operate redirect vehicles based on the levels of congestion experienced in these urban areas. It
in a decentralised fashion when sounds far-fetched. Well, that is the beauty of 5G, edge computing and IoT devices… it
communicating with each other. This is allows us to dream the impossible and make it a reality. n
the real game changer, and this is what
clients should be excited about as the use About the author
cases of such a responsive architecture Morné de Villiers is an integration architect and project manager within the Professional
will be limitless. Services Group (PSG) of TechSoft International. With more than 20 years of experience
in the IT industry, Morné formerly worked at the global location intelligence company
The edge and IoT future in action HERE Technologies, responsible for designing IoT solutions and overseeing business
So, where will we see this merger development. He also served a ten-year tenure at BCX, where he notably held the
between the edge and IoT, and how will position of Head of IoT and Digital Platform Delivery. An integration specialist with
5G change the face of how we use and extensive technical knowledge spanning numerous leading vendor systems, he is
consume IoT services? Think V2X (Vehicle passionate about marrying technology to business processes and ensuring system
2 Everything): this is a great example of integration between various technologies.
how IoT devices, edge computing and
super-fast communication through 5G Email: mornev@tech-soft.co.za

EngineerIT | June 2022 | 25