5G in Logistics 4.0: potential applications and challenges

The transition of logistics processes towards Logistics 4.0 (or Smart Logistics) – the specific application of Industry 4.0 in the logistics systems – contributes to the increasing need to establish reliable and efficient communication networks, to manage considerable amounts of data exchange between equipment, products, vehicles and workers. The combination of the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, allows improvements and optimisation in many logistics processes, but claims for advanced stable real-time communication. The fifth generation of Mobile Communication Networks, the so-called 5G, has the potential to meet these requirements and substantially support the development of Smart Logistics. Through a systematic literature review, this paper aims to identify the main logistics areas and activities in which 5G can be implemented, pointing out the expected benefits and the related technologies that can boost its large-scale adoption. The literature review also allows identifying the main challenges that currently prevent the 5G adoption in logistics processes, suggesting future research directions.