5G-ACIA
About Us
To make 5G a success for industrial applications, 5G-ACIA brings together widely varying 5G stakeholders.
They include organizations of the OT and ICT industries. “OT” stands for operational technology. OT companies include industrial automation enterprises, machine builders, and end users. “ICT” stands for information and communication technology. ICT companies can be chip manufacturers, network infrastructure providers, or mobile network operators. The 5G-ACIA membership also includes academic institutions such as universities and research institutes, as well as other relevant entities such as government bodies and associations.
What is the goal of 5G-ACIA?
5G-ACIA’s overall goal is to apply industrial 5G in the best possible way. Members jointly strive to make sure that the particular interests of the industrial domain are adequately considered in 5G standardization and regulation. Together, they discuss and evaluate technical, regulatory, and business aspects with respect to 5G for the industrial domain.
How can 5G be integrated?
To make industrial 5G a success, it is crucial to transfer the ongoing 5G developments into the industrial domain. Therefore, 5G-ACIA elaborates integration concepts and migration paths, and evaluates the key technologies that emerge from the 5G standardization bodies. Furthermore, 5G-ACIA identifies spectrum needs for industrial 5G networks. Members jointly explore new operating models, for instance 5G campus networks within factories.
A new understanding between different industries
To make 5G a success for industrial applications, 5G-ACIA brings together very different 5G stakeholders. That is organizations from the OT and from the ICT industries.
“OT” means operational technology.
“ICT” means information and communication technology.
OT companies are, for instance, industrial automation enterprises, machine builders or end users. ICT companies can be chip manufacturers, network infrastructure providers or mobile network operators. In addition, 5G-ACIA members are academic institutions, such as universities or research institutes, and other relevant groups, such as authorities and associations.
Mission
Generalizing Industrial 5G for industry
The overriding objective of 5G-ACIA is to maximize the applicability of 5G technology in connected industries, in particular the manufacturing and process sectors. 5G-ACIA works to ensure that 5G standardization and regulation efforts adequately consider the interests and unique characteristics of the industrial domain.
What is 5G-ACIA’s mission?
5G-ACIA also strives to ensure that new 5G developments – including possible integration concepts and migration paths – are understood by and transferred to the industrial domain, and also evaluates key technologies emerging from 5G standardization bodies.
In addition, 5G-ACIA is striving to establish a common language and shared understanding of relevant aspects by embracing the entire ecosystem. Industry-specific needs are also discussed and elaborated, including the possible need for dedicated certification and similar processes. 5G-ACIA also identifies and articulates specific spectrum requirements of industrial 5G networks and explores new operating models, like for private or neutral host 5G networks within a plant or factory.
Strategic goals
- 5G-ACIA represents the world-leading alliance for 5G in the industrial domain and is widely recognized as such.
- 5G-related (incl. 5G evolution) SDOs adequately address the requirements of industrial use cases & applications.
- The OT industries understand how to optimally make use of 5G.
- Key 5G capabilities for industrial applications have been evaluated and validated in realistic scenarios.
- A healthy ecosystem of industrial 5G devices and infrastructure components is available.
- Non-technical challenges have been identified and possible solutions have been worked out.
- Adequate market forecasts and assessments have been worked out.
- Actual spectrum needs for different use cases and applications have been analyzed and understood.
- Industrial 5G edge compute use cases, architectures, and deployment models have been identified and evaluated.
ZVEI e.V.
Legal Entity of 5G-ACIA
In 2016 – prior to the foundation of 5G-ACIA – a number of global leaders in automation technology joined forces within the scope of the ZVEI 5G Taskforce in order to influence the global development of 5G.
ZVEI e. V. (Electro and Digital Industry Association) is one of Germany’s most important industrial associations, representing the interests of multiple high-tech companies who collectively possess a highly diversified and extremely dynamic product portfolio. ZVEI acts as a pacemaker for progress, proactively making proposals related to research, technology, environmental, educational and science policy. It promotes market-centric international standardization efforts, and offers a proven platform infrastructure for this work.
5G ACIA, upon its establishment, was able to take advantage of this platform. Moreover, a working party was formed to allow worldwide cooperation with non-ZVEI members.
As a result, the global 5G industry benefits from ZVEI’s domain expertise in the field of automation, security, artificial intelligence and its Industry 4.0 knowledge, developed over the last years.
In addition, for both the automation sector and the 5G industry generally, ZVEI is the legal entity for 5G-ACIA, with responsibility for enabling all participating companies to engage in pre-competitive exchange and collaboration in compliance with EU competition law.
The ZVEI hosts the 5G-ACIA Office containing all needed resources.
