[Hannover, Germany, April 22, 2024]  – At this year’s Hannover Messe, the 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation (5G-ACIA) proudly announces the introduction of a new membership category specifically designed to empower end users and propel them into the forefront of the digital era.

Industrial 5G has been a highly promising technology for achieving unprecedented levels of flexibility, productivity, efficiency and ease-of-use as part of the developments towards Industry 4.0. To this end, 5G-ACIA has played a crucial role in the last couple of years by bringing the ICT and OT industries together, establishing a common understanding, actively shaping relevant standards, and addressing many important aspects, such as the seamless integration of 5G into existing IT and OT infrastructures.

After the successful completion of these fundamental activities, finally the time has come to take Industrial 5G from theory to practice and to further fuel the development of a vivid and healthy ecosystem. To this end, 5G-ACIA takes two crucial steps:

Firstly, 5G-ACIA is extending a special invitation to industrial end users, such as manufacturers, to join its coalition. A newly created membership category offers significant discounts, enabling members to collectively explore how to untap the full potential of Industrial 5G in practice.

Secondly, 5G-ACIA is expanding its scope beyond the manufacturing and process industries to include other connected industries and automation systems within the realm of 5G and its ongoing evolution. By broadening its focus, 5G-ACIA seeks to foster the ecosystem development by identifying and leveraging synergies across diverse domains.

Dr. Andreas Mueller (Bosch), General Chair of 5G-ACIA

“After several years of successful preparatory work, finally the time has come to take Industrial 5G from theory to practice. This comes along with a shift of our focus from technology development and standardization to ecosystem building and market proliferation. The expansion of our membership represents a significant step in this direction. We are now exploring potential sectors such as ports and mining, where Industrial 5G already exhibits considerable traction today, “

About 5G-ACIA:

The 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation (5G-ACIA) is the central global forum for driving and shaping Industrial 5G. It was established in 2018 and has since then developed into a major international organization with currently around 100 member organizations, including leading organizations from the ICT and OT industries as well as academia. 5G-ACIA members discuss and address relevant technical, regulatory, and business aspects of Industrial 5G and pave the way for a highly attractive emerging market. To this end, 5G-ACIA regularly publishes relevant white papers, organizes dedicated training sessions, runs an innovative testbed programme and represents the voice of the industrial domain towards organizations like 3GPP. 5G-ACIA is also closely connected to many other relevant associations and industry bodies, such as the OPC Foundation, GSMA, the Alliance of Industrial Internet, NGMN, and many more.