Participants in a survey by FUENF-G show themselves to be very active companies. (Picture: FUENF-G)

The corona crisis has not exactly accelerated the development of 5G in the industry. But at the same time, the damper on expectations is taking some of the pressure off the development departments to deliver ready-made solutions immediately. Nevertheless, a survey by FUENF-G clearly shows how important this technology is for the industry.

One thing in advance: As if the community had come to an agreement, so far – in keeping with the 5G topic – only 5 participants have completely answered the FUENF-G survey. Instead of letting it gather dust on the server, we publish the results nevertheless – after all, the participants belong to the well-known and active part of the community and the drivers of technical progress in 5G. And one speaks from experience: Everyone runs at least one current 5G project, one participant even more than ten.

“Real launch” of 5G in sight

The Corona crisis has not only put our survey in a deep sleep, but has also reordered many priorities in almost every company and department. At the beginning of the year, the available products for industrial/enterprise users were scarce. Now, six months later, that has not changed significantly. Some journalist colleagues, such as those from ‘Markt und Mittelstand’, are already getting nervous and disrespectfully write about “pure wishful thinking of the technology apostles”. The participants in our little survey, however, already pleaded for patience at the beginning of the year. A relevant 5G product range and a “real start” of 5G was not predicted until 2021, some even spoke of a notable start in 2022.

On the other hand, the participants unanimously see the possibility of campus networks in Germany as a very great opportunity. Because of the independence associated with them, the ‘private’ networks offer a real advantage in international competition.

“Campus networks are essential as a relevant and important networking option for industry participants who want to ensure certain criteria. Campus networks will be an important driver for establishing 5G for industrial purposes in conjunction with the option to use segments from public networks.”
Participant in the FUENF-G survey

Others see the spectrum made available by regulators for a locally limited area (e.g. for a factory site or industrial park) as a guarantee of increased reliability for the operation of their own network. “In this respect, campus networks, if they can be efficiently deployed under given economic constraints, play an important role in the introduction of 5G for industry“, one participant states on record.

However, there are also critical voices that, with the exception of pilot projects in Germany, Europe and China, expect campus networks to be used on a much later stage than traditional 5G networks. The reasons for this are probably due to the fact that they are not yet ready for delivery: “In my view, interest in the licenses is lower than originally expected. The main reason is the lack of 5G system technology and devices that operate in the relevant spectrum (3.7 to 3.8)”.

On a positive note, it should also be noted that in Germany the frequency application process is simple. However, infrastructure issues in terms of technology would still require further definition with regard to a standardised solution (3GPP releases). The decision between private vs. public networks depends not least on the size of the operator and whether he can afford to build and operate his own 5G network economically.

Main areas of application of 5G

The technical possibilities of the 5G mobile communications standard in public or private networks are one thing, the innovative implementation in applications is another. Which solutions or application scenarios for 5G do the experts see at the forefront?

Basically, the participants say that the digital transformation enables increased flexibility and efficiency, especially through the reliable collection of process-relevant data at any required point and at any required time. This collection and processing of data, combined with the flexibility to individually configure physical production lines, is crucial for the success of 5G projects. Specifically, they name the following applications as key drivers:

• factory automation;
• control of driverless transport systems (AGV);
• replacement of redundant technologies (RFID, UWB, Wifi, LTE, or even internal telephony etc.);
• human/machine collaboration;
• digital twins;
• remote control;
• modular automation;
• data acquisition from old plants;
• intelligent sensor technology.

Project partners wanted

The survey participants consider the most important prerequisite for a successful project to be the question of whether both short-term and medium to long-term use cases can be sufficiently well defined and outlined. Furthermore, the challenge would be to select the right (economically optimal) technology/infrastructure, to integrate it into the existing infrastructure and to acquire knowledge about the capabilities but also the limitations of 5G technology. However, all this is only promising if the business processes are also adapted in order to realize the return on investment for the implemented solution in a timely manner.

“We need project partners with good connections to the still scarce 5G world. Without support, many SMEs will find it difficult to set up a project”.
Participants of the FUENF-G survey

In addition, the self-conception and understanding of what opportunities 5G can mean and enable for individual industry participants play a critical role, as does the question of what role 5G plays in the eco-system and the establishment of an adequate value chain. Further questions are: Who builds the network, who operates the network? Which competencies are available in the operation? What must be guaranteed to protect critical data?

The participants see the following as the greatest challenges

• Availability of 5G system technology;
• Availability of equipment operating in the relevant frequency band;
• Lack of general knowledge about 5G;
• missing applications.

In order to meet the latter challenge, the editorial team of FUENF-G is also pleased to report on your project in 5G. Please send us your test field, your requirements or even the questions or reasons why you have not yet been able to start concrete projects. And if you have the time and desire, please complete the survey evaluated here. We will keep you open for a while before we contact you with new questions. We look forward to your feedback – also directly in the comment field.