There is no doubt that in the future consumers will experience much higher data rates on their smartphones. 5G will deliver a quantum leap in capacity and data rates by a new radio system that utilizes much larger radio spectrum and achieves new heights in spectral efficiency. In addition to this “more of the same”, 5G will be far more than just about watching funny videos on YouTube at much lower production costs for the underlying connection – which is already very good news to network operators. The true business value – and this is the upside potential for operators – will be about the substantial impact 5G will generate for various industries. This new business area will be enabled by the 5G network architecture providing network slicing. Slices are virtual networks which are tailored to the specific needs of different applications. The multitude of different virtual network slices are all running on the same physical network infrastructure. With that approach every application exactly gets the quality of service and connectivity characteristics it needs, such as assured throughput, peak data rate, coverage, reliability and network delay. This programmability transforms the network from a best effort consumer service engine to a predictable connectivity hub for basically any kind of industrial use case able to meet the most stringent and extreme connectivity requirements.
You may have heard these kind of statements already a couple of times before and you may lack the real world proofs up to now. Therefore let’s have a look at some of the “killer apps” of 5G in various industries by displaying some real projects where Nokia is collaborating with leading companies in their respective industries who are convinced that 5G will bring significant value add for their business model.
5G for automotive – new driving experiences
5G will offer new possibilities for connected cars such as providing higher quality online infotainment or the improved networking between cars and infrastructure for automated driving functions. In a Proof of Concept Nokia and the BMW Group have been able to show some dedicated use cases, enabled by 5G network slicing. Based on the contrasting services’ characteristics we have defined three exemplary slices for usage in the automotive context. A first slice is used to update HD maps by guaranteeing a defined data rate over longer time intervals. A second slice is focused on the exchange of time-sensitive data for the inter-vehicle data exchange known as vehicle-to-vehicle communication with high reliability and low transmission latency which will be an important enabler for enhanced automated driving. A third slice is optimized with the best possible data quality for the streaming of videos in HD quality for infotainment, which can be played on the rear seat entertainment displays. Network slicing technology will ensure that the exchange of safety critical data always gets the highest priority which enables new connectivity and information services that are not possible today. Experts of BMW Group Research are already today developing solutions to exploit the potential of future 5G networks in the car.
Beyond this concrete example the telecom industry and the automotive industry are coming together in the 5G Automotive Association which fosters the utilization of 5G in the automotive context.
5G for logistics – new processes in complex environments
A prominent trial is currently being run by the Hamburg Port Authority, Deutsche Telekom and Nokia to test the capabilities of the 5G architecture across an industrial area of 8,000 hectares in the Port of Hamburg – in the context of the 5G.MoNArch (5G Mobile Network Architecture) project led by Nokia. The complex logistics and connected infrastructure within a sea port is fundamental to the processes in a harbor environment and requires a well-designed ICT infrastructure that will face increasing challenges: By 2025 we are talking about 18 million containers per year at the Hamburg port, several 10,000 trucks per day, self-driving vehicles and about 100,000 sensors, all sending and retrieving data to ensure fluent processes. This scenario calls for a new kind of connectivity. The main requirements of any use case in the port include resilience - guaranteed availability, even in the case of failures -, security, and the support of the diverse requirements of the different use cases. In the ongoing trial a variety of applications are being enabled by dedicated network slices exactly meeting the stringent needs of the use cases: Better traffic flow by connected intelligent transport systems, more secure operations by AR based expert assistance at construction sites and water gates as well as improved pollution control by connected sensors on moving barges. In a nutshell the 5G network architecture will play a key role in managing a complex infrastructure in the most efficient way.
5G for Industry 4.0 – new heights in productivity by mobilizing factories
One of the most important enablers of the smart factory will be vastly increased connectivity that will link machines, processes, robots and people to create more versatile and more dynamic production capabilities. In modern factories walls, roof and factory floor will be the only fixed components, the rest will be mobile with plug and play capabilities which allows additional machines to be connected, requiring wireless connectivity. In today’s factories wireline is predominantly being used since it provides the high performance and reliability needed for automation, but lack flexibility to be able to cope with rapidly changing production demands. 5G is the first wireless technology with the high throughput, low latency and extreme reliability that can replace wireline connectivity in the factory. 5G will allow for entirely new use cases in industrial automation, collaboration and safety. In a joint project Nokia and Bosch have shown that by coupling advanced interactive robots with wireless perimeter intrusion detection the safety of the coworkers in a factory can significantly be enhanced. But this is just a start. 5G network slicing will be providing end-to-end quality of service and isolation for the different applications in a factory to meet the stringent reliability and latency demands. 5G can achieve simultaneous ultra-low latency of less than 1 millisecond and 99.999 percent reliability, making it the only mobile technology suitable for stringent Industry 4.0 factory applications. This makes the inherent flexibility and ease of deployment of wireless connectivity available to high-end industrial automation applications for the first time.
The newly founded 5G-ACIA (5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation) accelerates the collaboration between the manufacturing and telecom industries in order make 5G ready for Industry 4.0.
Automotive, logistics and Industry 4.0 are going to be three “killer apps” for 5G
In a nutshell 5G will significantly impact at least three large industries. This is far more than theory and wishful thinking since these industries are trialing the capabilities of the 5G network architecture either to enhance the driving experience or to connect mobile machines, vehicles and sensors, all resulting in a wide array of new possibilities. There is a lot of concrete action in the 5G ecosystem which is now turning the new use cases and associated business opportunities into practice.
About the author:
Volker Held is responsible for 5G Market Development at Nokia. Nokia is a partner of the Digital Hub Mobility and Experience Partner of the Digital Product School. Here they support with specialist knowledge and coaches.
