Working Groups

The dynamo and source of Industrial 5G

The Working Groups are composed of individuals from the member organizations and every Working Group has a Chair and a Vice-Chair. Within the Working Group, the technical topics are dealt based on the planning and decisions of the plenary.

Working Group 1: Use Case and Requirements

Discusses potential use cases and requirements and defines a common body of terminology.

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Working Group 2: Ecosystem and Regulatory Framework

Identifies and articulate specific spectrum needs of industrial 5G networks and explores new operator models, for example for operating private or neutral host 5G networks within a plant or factory.

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Working Group 3: System Architecture and Integration aspects

Considers the overall architecture of future 5G-enabled industrial connectivity infrastructures. This includes integration concepts and migration paths, the evaluation of key technologies emerging
from 5G standardization bodies.

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Working Group 4: Liaisons and Marketing

Takes care of the interaction with other initiatives and organizations by establishing liaison activities and initiating suitable promotional measures.

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Working Group 5: Industrial 5G in practice

Deals with the final validation of 5G for industrial applications.
This includes the initiation of interoperability tests, larger trials, and potentially dedicated certification procedures.

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Working group 01

Use case and Requirements

Key focus

Discussing potential use cases and requirements and definition of a common terminology:

Use case and requirements analysis
Streamline terminology
Consolidation of input to 3GPP SA1
Support for other 3GPP and 5G-ACIA working groups
Identification of other relevant SDOs

Leadership

Chair: Michael Bahr (Siemens)
Vice-Chair: Dr. Xueli An (Huawei)

Key achievements (selection)

Provided use case collection for 3GPP and ITU
Wikipedia use case for 5G-ACIA members
Discussion, consolidation, and contribution of key industrial requirements
for R16 to 3GPP SA1
Two white papers on use cases and requirements
White paper on 5G capabilities
Liaisons with several 3GPP groups on relevant topics

Ongoing work items/activities (selected)

Clarification of TR 22.804 concepts and discussion of standardization requirements
Advance (predicted) QoS notification for 5G (ADAPT)
Cooperation with GSMA (GSM Association) Network Slicing Taskforce on Generic Slice Template (GST)
Discussion, consolidation, and contribution of key industrial requirements for R17 to 3GPP SA1
Analysis of the gap between prioritized requirements and 3GPP documents
From 5G-ACIA requirements to 3GPP RAN/SA mapping
3GPP SA(1) support related to 5G-ACIA use cases, requirements, and KPIs
Guaranteed Service Level Specification (SLS) for industries enabled and connected by 5G technology
Clarification of communication parameters and concepts
Industrial 5G compute edge use cases, requirements
Use cases and requirements for 5G-enabled devices for industrial applications

5G was born with the promise of supporting vertical applications, and above all industrial ones, with ultra-low latency and high reliability. To maximize the benefits of 5G technology for industrial automation and the manufacturing and process industries in general, it’s essential to communicate relevant industrial use cases and needs to the relevant bodies, and especially to the 3GPP community of standards organizations. The requirements aren’t just KPIs like low one-millisecond latency; they also cover indirectly functional aspects such as nonpublic 5G networks. 5G-ACIA, with a membership embracing a broad range of 5G stakeholders, is the ideal forum for this. It is working to forge a shared understanding, focus attention on specific aspects and use cases, and meet the prerequisites for making industrial 5G a resounding success.

5G-ACIA as a global organization plays a unique mediating role between the ICT and OT industries. On the one hand, it brings real use cases and requirements from the factory and process automation field to 5G standardization activities, while on the other it helps advocate and promote 5G as an advanced technology within the industry ecosystem. With its clear vision, 5G-ACIA will not only help accelerate the adoption of 5G in the context of Industry 4.0 but also stimulate further innovations in new industrial use cases by taking advantage of mobile communication technology. This vision and mission are at the heart of WG1 (use cases and requirements).

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Working group 02

Ecosystem and Regulatory Framework

Key focuses

Identifying and articulate specific spectrum needs of industrial 5G networks and explore new operating models, for example for operating private or neutral host 5G networks within a plant or factory
Contributing to meeting spectrum needs of industrial 5G networks to ITU-R
Contributing to meeting spectrum needs of industrial 5G networks to RSPG
Evaluating global spectrum frameworks for industrial 5G networks

Leadership

Chair: Jagadeesh Dantuluri (Keysight)
Vice-Chair: Russ Gyurek (Cisco)

Key achievements (selected)

Contributed to ITU-R WP5A on license-exempt spectrum for wireless industrial applications
Contributed to ITU-R WP5D to include new use cases for “industrial automation” as 5G vertical
Contributed to ITU-R WP5A on license-exempt spectrum for wireless industrial applications
Responded to consultation on 3rd RSPG opinion on 5G
Internal report on network operation and spectrum models

Ongoing work items/activities (selected)

5G-ACIA global 5G spectrum overview

Spectrum is the scarce key resource for all wireless communication. WG2 provides a forum for investigating the supply of and demand for spectrum for industry use in the very diverse regulation environments globally and their impact on implementing and operating various nonpublic network architecture models for industrial use.

5G provides for the realization of industrial 4.0. ACIA drives the creation of a foundation to support all the industrial private network needs. Spectrum is an important aspect of this foundation from policy to operational parameters.

Working group 03

System Architecture and Integration aspects

Key focus

Addressing the overall architecture of future 5G-enabled industrial connectivity infrastructures. This includes integration concepts and migration paths and evaluating key technologies emerging from 5G standardization bodies:

Evaluating and developing ICT and OT communication architectures:
Integrating networks and interworking of key functions
Evaluating and assessing new technologies
Supporting relevant SDOs with domain-specific know-how

Leadership

Chair: Atte Lansisalmi (Nokia)
Vice-Chair: Kurt Essigmann (Ericsson)

Key achievements (selected)

3GPP RAN contribution on evaluation and analysis of radio propagation
3GPP RAN contribution on industrial indoor channel model
White paper on nonpublic network deployment scenarios
White paper on integrating industrial communication with 5G networks
White paper on 5G-ACIA traffic model for industrial communication
White paper on security aspects of 5G for connected industries and automation
White paper on architecture alignment of Industry 4.0 / RAMI 4.0 and 3GPP
White paper on 5G performance evaluation for connected industries and automation
White paper on integrating 5G with time-sensitive networking for industrial automation
Internal report on comparative analysis of 5G Rel.16 and IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) in industrial use cases

Ongoing work items/activities (selected)

Integration of OPC UA with 5G network
5G industrial device architecture principles, capabilities and requirements
5G QoS for industrial automation
Analysis of 5G capabilities for industrial IoT

5G-ACIA is uniquely positioned to bring together ICT and OT industries to discuss 5G. Building a common understanding is important and there are major opportunities for doing so. I’m honored to vice-chair the architecture and technology working group (WG3), which plays a key role here while considering all stakeholder groups' requirements equally and applying 5G technology in the most advanced and efficient way possible to enable our success.

5G radio communications technology is a key element in driving digitalization further, not only in the industrial automation domain but also in many other industries such as transportation and logistics, power generation and distribution, oil & gas, and a host of others. 5G must therefore smoothly integrate with existing and future field bus systems, edge cloud solutions, wired deterministic networks, etc. while at the same time evolving to meet the demands of various users.

Working group 04

Liaisons and Marketing

Key focus

Interacting with other initiatives and organizations by establishing liaison activities and initiating suitable promotional measures:

Liaison and partnership management incl. MoU
Marketing and promotional activities
Social media, press releases, and position statements
Preparing workshops, webinars, and conferences
Supporting other working groups on “external affairs”

Leadership

Chair: Sylvia Lu (u-blox)
Vice-Chair: Uwe Rueddenklau (Infineon)

Key achievements (selected)

White paper on 5G for connected industries and automation (second edition)
Prepared workshop in Frankfurt, Germany, in June 2018
Prepared workshop in Seoul, Korea in March 2019
Prepared workshop in Naperville (Chicago), USA in June 2019
Prepared workshop in Shanghai, China in September 2019
Prepared workshop in Paris, France in November 2019
Prepared workshop in Coventry (Birmingham), United Kingdom in January 2020
Basic marketing kit
Established MoUs with global partners on Industrial 5G (–> link to MoU network
5G-ACIA webinar series 1
Basic marketing kit

Ongoing work items/ activities (selected)

Preparation of 5G-ACIA Plenary and Workshop in Japan
Planning of the 2021 virtual roadshow – digital Hannover Fair, April 2021
Planning of the 2021 virtual roadshow – digital Achema Pulse, June 2021
5G-ACIA webinar series 2
Planning of the 2022 roadshow – Achema 2022, April 2022
Planning of the 2022 roadshow – Hannover Fair, April 2022
Planning of the 2022 roadshow – stops in USA and Asia, second half of 2022

5G-ACIA has demonstrated a strong commitment to international collaboration between the ICT and OT sectors, connecting with the world's leading industrial organizations to share knowledge and lessons learned and developing a worldwide ecosystem to support the manufacturing and automation industries. I’m delighted to chair WG4 and have this opportunity to expand our global network and unleash the economic and business potential that 5G holds for industry.

I’m pleased to see our 5G-ACIA alliance achieve global reach across many countries outside Europe including South Korea, Japan, China and the U.S., actively establishing and growing the network by means of workshops, events, and webinars involving ICT and OT industry players to promote 5G technology.

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Working group 05

Industrial 5G in practice

Key focus

Addressing final validation of 5G for industrial applications, which includes initiating interoperability tests, conducting larger trials and possibly also dedicated certification procedures, and supporting the validation of evolving 5G solutions in industrial applications:

Developing a methodology for achieving comparable performance test results
Guiding 5G-ACIA-endorsed testbeds in the areas of factory automation, process automation, and intralogistics
Evaluating certification requirements

Leadership

Chair: Dr. Lisa Underberg (ifak)
Vice-Chair: Niels König (Fraunhofer IPT)

Key achievements (selected)

White paper on testing and validation aspects of industrial communication with 5G technologies
White paper on performance testing of industrial 5G solutions – objectives, requirements, and methodology
General rules for 5G-ACIA testbeds
Requirements for establishing and operating 5G-ACIA testbeds
Initiated first 5G-ACIA testbeds

Ongoing work items/ activities (selected)

Initiation of additional new 5G-ACIA testbeds
Certification in 5G-ACIANiel

Thorough validation and testing from an industrial application perspective is key for building confidence in any wireless network and its performance. That's why I’m convinced that 5G-ACIA WG5 will contribute significantly to the success of industrial 5G.

The most convincing argument that WG5 can present for stimulating the market pull for industrial 5G products is that a use case is also a business case.

Structure

5G-ACIA is driven and operated by Board, Working Groups and 5G-ACIA Office.

Legal entity of 5G ACIA

5G-ACIA is a working group of ZVEI.

Global partners

5G-ACIA is a global association and central forum with allied partners from around the world.

Working Groups

The dynamo and source of Industrial 5G

Working group 01

Key focus

Leadership

Key achievements (selection)

Ongoing work items/activities (selected)

Working group 02

Key focuses

Leadership

Key achievements (selected)

Ongoing work items/activities (selected)

Working group 03

Key focus

Leadership

Chair: Atte Lansisalmi (Nokia)Vice-Chair: Kurt Essigmann (Ericsson)

Key achievements (selected)

Ongoing work items/activities (selected)

Working group 04

Key focus

Leadership

Key achievements (selected)

Ongoing work items/ activities (selected)

Working group 05

Key focus

Leadership

Key achievements (selected)

Ongoing work items/ activities (selected)

Related Topics

Structure

Legal entity of 5G ACIA

Global partners

Designing 5G for Industrial Use

Key Enabler for Industrial 5G

Making Industrial 5G happen

Usage of industrial 5G

Endorsed testbeds

Showcases

About us

Mission

Structure

Working groups

Legal entity of 5G-ACIA

Global partners

Benefit

Members

How to become a member

Self-Service Registration

News

Press releases

Events

Blog

Publications

Webinars

Media

Showcases

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Chair: Atte Lansisalmi (Nokia)
Vice-Chair: Kurt Essigmann (Ericsson)