The event took place in Naperville, Illinois, on June 11 and 12, 2019, which was mainly organized by 5G-ACIA member Trumpf and hosted by 5G-ACIA member Nokia. Around 80 attendees gained valuable insights into how best to prepare for disruptive 5G developments, and discussed ways to unlock the immense potential that 5G offers the industrial domain.
During day one, representatives of companies including Nokia, Qualcomm, HMS Networks, LStelcom, HARTING Technology Group and Trumpf gave their views on 5G for automation in industry, in conjunction with a presentation by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. On the second day, 5G-ACIA members provided an overview of current and future activities in the various working groups. Currently, there are five working groups, for the following areas: “use cases and requirements”, “spectrum and operator models”, “architecture and technology”, “liaisons and dissemination” and “validation and tests”. Their presentations were complemented by enlightening talks from organizations such as Rockwell Automation, Beckhoff and the CBRS Alliance.
The 5G-ACIA workshop underlined the excitement and momentum surrounding 5G for the industrial domain, both in the information and communications technology (ICT) and operational technology (OT) sectors. To make 5G a success, close and early collaboration between all relevant stakeholders is required. Against this background, 5G-ACIA Chairman Andreas Müller (Bosch) invited interested organizations to join the alliance: “Our 5G-ACIA workshop in Chicago, one of the first cities in the United States with a commercial 5G network, and a major industrial hub in North America, is another important step toward bringing together the ICT and the OT industries and fostering global dialogue on 5G for industrial IoT. We encourage both large and small enterprises from all over the world to join 5G-ACIA in order to best harness the great potential of industrial 5G and to enable unprecedented productivity, flexibility and versatility in industrial production.”
The Chicago workshop was the first of its kind held in the United States, and the second staged by 5G-ACIA in 2019: 5G-ACIA organized a similar event in Seoul Korea, March 2019, attracting significant interest from across East Asia. Additional workshops for interested stakeholders will be held in September 2019 in Shanghai, China, and in November 2019 in Paris, France.
5G-ACIA has almost doubled in size since foundation; 11 new members in 2019 alone
Today, 5G-ACIA has 51 members in total. In the first half of 2019 alone, 11 new members joined: Athonet (Italy), Deutsche Messe (Germany), ITRI (Taiwan), LS telcom (Germany), Moxa (Taiwan), Panasonic (Japan), Salzburg Research (Austria), Sick (Germany), u-blox (Switzerland), Wago (Germany) and ZTE (China). Including these latest recruits, 5G-ACIA has almost doubled in size since its foundation in April 2018 (starting with 26 members). This rapid growth clearly reflects the huge momentum of the alliance’s activities.
5G-ACIA, the central global forum for 5G in industrial scenarios
The 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation (5G-ACIA) is the central global forum for shaping 5G standards for industrial applications. 5G-ACIA members jointly prepare for the disruptive changes that 5G will bring, promote a better understanding of industrial needs, and gain insights into a highly attractive emerging market. 5G-ACIA provides a unique platform for OT and ICT companies, academia, and all relevant stakeholders to collaborate, and to influence 5G development and deployment in line with industrial imperatives.
