Video surveillance as a service, or VSaaS for short, refers to video surveillance services that are managed by a third party and that are remotely accessible for end-users. With this model, businesses and other clients are able to make use of top of the range applications and technology, which are offered by a service provider and hosted in the cloud.

The concept has been growing in popularity for years, in part because it means businesses do not need to store security camera footage on-site, while they can also pass on some of the responsibility for compliance with GDPR and other legislation to VSaaS providers. However, the ability to access data from anywhere is also a major part of the appeal.

With the rollout of 5G communications technology, this accessibility component is expected to move to the next level. In this article, we take a closer look at how 5G is set to impact VSaaS in the months and years to come.

5G Technology Explained

First, it is worth exploring exactly what 5G is and what it has to offer. In simple terms, '5G' refers to fifth-generation mobile communications technology. It is the new and emerging global wireless communications standard, following in the footsteps of the 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G technology that has previously been used.

As an article for Tech Radar explains, the 5G rollout in the United Kingdom began in May 2019 with EE and has since expanded, with Vodafone, O2, BT Mobile, Three, Sky Mobile and more each offering 5G services for those with 5G-ready devices. In terms of benefits, 5G is significantly faster and offers greater capacity than 4G technology.

However, the benefits extend beyond simply improving what is currently on offer. As Ofcom states, 5G technology has the potential to allow for real innovation, with new devices and equipment being fitted with 5G technology and the possibility of rapid, wireless communication between those objects all leading to some interesting opportunities.

So what will this mean for your current remote video monitoring system and what might you expect in the future?

The Impact of 5G on VSaaS

The rise of 5G has put video surveillance as a service in the news in recent years. For instance, back in October 2019, Gartner published a widely-shared prediction that outdoor surveillance cameras would represent the single largest market globally for 5G 'Internet of Things' solutions in the years up to 2023, and this is coming to fruition.

Essentially, this demand is being driven by the new possibilities that 5G offers. Faster speeds, for example, make it much more viable to operate a remote video monitoring system, because security cameras can be monitored from anywhere in the world, in real-time, without some of the latency issues that people may have encountered in the past.

Meanwhile, the greater capacity associated with 5G has reliability benefits too and is going to be essential as we move forward in a world where everything from our smartphones to our cars is making use of wireless technology. This is critical for VSaaS because it enables far quicker responses to any security issues that arise.

All of this means businesses will be able to turn to VSaaS providers for dependable video security services, which they will have constant, reliable access to, and which they can use to make rapid in-the-moment security decisions.

Other Potential 5G Benefits

With that being said, it is also important to understand that the benefits of 5G for VSaaS extend far beyond reliability and accessibility. As an IFSEC Global article points out, one of the major advantages of 5G is likely to be an increase in security camera image quality, with the faster speeds supporting 4K and 8K video.

This is especially significant when it comes to using a security system to detect crime. In the past, a lot of security camera footage has often been of poor quality, which makes it difficult or impossible to identify perpetrators and can even result in difficulty in landing a successful conviction when a person is identified through CCTV footage.

When service providers can offer better camera technology and clearer image quality, along with faster speeds, greater reliability, and accessibility from a wider range of devices, it is easy to see why VSaaS is only going to become more popular as 5G becomes more widely available and the benefits are fully realised.

The Last Word

Video surveillance as a service has been growing in popularity for years, but with the introduction of 5G communications technology, its future looks even brighter. Thanks to faster speeds, superior reliability and greater connectivity, the technology will make it even more viable for businesses to turn to cloud-based security solutions.

These improvements will make it easier to access security footage and other data on-demand, in real-time, using any 5G-enabled device, from anywhere in the world. At the same time, 5G is likely to allow for better video quality too, and this can be especially important for matters like crime detection and prevention.