Deutsche Telekom has made a significant advancement by successfully trialing 5G frequencies in the millimeter wave, mmWave, range at 26 gigahertz for the first time with industrial use cases. This milestone achievement is now being offered commercially to industrial customers. A key beneficiary of this technology is the Ger4tech Mechatronik Center, where autonomous industrial machines and robots were networked with a router in the 5G campus environment of the Werner-von-Siemens Centre for Industry and Science in Berlin. This router supports both 5G standalone in the industrial spectrum at 3.7 GHz and the mmWave spectrum, providing remarkable low latency times of three to four milliseconds RTT (round trip time) and a data rate of over 4 gigabits per second in download and 2 gigabits per second in upload.
The introduction of mmWave frequencies by Deutsche Telekom, enabled by Telit Cinterion, a global end-to-end IoT solutions provider, showcases the immense potential of 5G in data-intensive applications within the manufacturing industry. The focus is particularly on upload capabilities, as machines collect countless terabytes of data that can be uploaded to the cloud for analysis, facilitating various new use cases, especially in artificial intelligence. While mid-band 5G campus networks are already deployed for many industry applications, the added capability of 5G mmWave allows for additional applications that require higher bandwidth and speeds.
The unique characteristics of 5G mmWave, such as its short coverage range and high bandwidth, make it ideal for wireless communication technology and imaging. This technology plays a critical role in the development of 5G campus networks and has significant applications in the field of autonomous vehicles and the manufacturing industry. The frequency spectrum around 26 GHz, allocated exclusively to interested parties in Germany by the Federal Network Agency, is currently restricted to local applications, providing dedicated and reliable communication channels for industrial use.
Klaus Werner, Managing Director Business Customers at Telekom Deutschland GmbH, emphasized the importance of real-time data uploads for industrial customers. He stated, "It is important for our industrial customers in the age of artificial intelligence to be able to upload data from machines and thus make it available and analyzable in real time. This is the only way for companies to introduce AI applications sensibly and efficiently and derive great benefits for their business."
Marco Contento, VP of Product Management, Mobile Broadband at Telit Cinterion, highlighted the transformative impact of integrating 5G mmWave into industrial operations. "We're enabling customers to access unparalleled levels of efficiency, productivity, and innovation. Through the seamless integration of 5G mmWave into their operations, every device and process can achieve connectivity at an unprecedented scale," he said. "Collaboratively, we're helping to pave the way for industries to streamline operations, anticipate maintenance needs, and a multitude of future possibilities."
At the Werner-von-Siemens Centre, the 5G standalone campus network operates independently from Telekom's public mobile network. This dedicated network infrastructure, supplied by Ericsson, includes antennas, active system technology, and the core network. Within this environment, a fleet of autonomously operating robots works on various industrial use cases. The 5G standalone network is typically sufficient for controlling these robots, but the 5G millimeter waves are crucial when communication and data transmission requirements increase, such as in complex tasks involving computer vision applications. For example, a robot can pick up an order and verify its completeness en route to the next destination, immediately reordering any missing items.
The Werner-von-Siemens Centre hosts numerous scenarios where industry, research institutions like TU Berlin and Fraunhofer, small and medium-sized enterprises, and start-ups collaborate on practical solutions for industrial challenges. These include autonomous production logistics and other critical aspects of industrial manufacturing, demonstrating the vast potential of 5G mmWave technology in revolutionizing the industry.
