5G-Powered Industrial Automation: Opportunities and Challenges

  • Authors

    • Dr. Waraporn Srisuk Department of Manufacturing & Systems Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand Author
    • Laura Anuwat Department of Manufacturing & Systems Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand Author

    DOI:

    https://doi.org/10.67228/30715628/IJMIET-V9I1P103

    Published 01-05-2026

  • 5G, Industrial Automation, Smart Manufacturing, IIoT, URLLC, mMTC, Edge Computing, Network Slicing, Cyber-Physical Systems, Industry 4.0

    Issue

    Vol. 9 No. 1 (2026)

    Section

    Articles

    How to Cite

    [1]
    W. Srisuk and L. Anuwat, “5G-Powered Industrial Automation: Opportunities and Challenges”, ijmiet, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 26–38, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.67228/30715628/IJMIET-V9I1P103.

  • Abstract

    The field of industrial automation experiences a revolutionary evolution due to the combination of 5G communication technologies with the systems of cyber-physics, artificial intelligence (AI), and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). 5G will present unprecedented possibilities, such as increased mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC) all of which result in entirely new possibilities in smart factories, predictive maintenance, autonomous robotics, and real-time process control. The paper discusses the present situation, underlying technology, architectural needs, the latest innovations and obstacles in the development of fully automated 5G-powered industrial ecosystems. The deterministic communication, scalable density of devices, computational offloading based on mobile edge computing (MEC), and manufacturing flexibility are the most significant opportunities. Nevertheless, studies find that there are serious barriers that are impediments to it; cybersecurity threat, interoperability, spectrum management, physical propagation, and economic barricade of the industry. The paper provides a holistic insight into 5G-powered industrial automation through an extensive literature review, comparative analysis, and well-calculated approach to future research by offering strategic solutions to the research issue. The findings demonstrate the potential of the 5G in the system of mission-critical manufacturing, improving the values of latency, throughput and reliability in simulated models of the performance. At the end of the paper, the researcher, engineer and policy makers are provided with the insights in order to enhance sustainable, secure and scalable 5G-enhanced industrial automation systems.

  • References

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