Washington, D.C. (US) / Frankfurt/Main (Germany) May 24, 2022 – CTIA Certification™ and the 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation, a working party of ZVEI, announce the signing of a cooperation agreement (COOP) to advance 5G industrial certification requirements. The partners seek to accelerate the certification, adoption, and implementation of 5G technology across the industry.
Industrial manufacturers are increasingly adopting 5G-enabled technology and its broad range of applications, including new solutions designed to improve worker safety, operational security, process efficiency, and more on the factory floor. As the industry embraces innovation, it is important to ensure the 5G-enabled technologies they adopt are certified to the highest global standards. The CTIA Certification/5G-ACIA cooperation agreement will make it possible to meet these needs.
By connecting experts from CTIA Certification with experts from operational technology (OT) and information and communications technology (ICT) companies around the world, the partners will leverage their considerable expertise to advance industrial 5G certification standards and develop solutions. Together, the partners will:
- Determine which certification standards and processes already exist that can be leveraged and expanded upon for industrial 5G applications.
- Improve 5G capabilities for the manufacturing industry by exchanging information on industrial IoT use cases and testing requirements to certify 5G products for industrial use.
- Advance progress toward a robust global pipeline of interoperable devices, networks, and services that enable the high-quality, reliable, and secure wireless communications required for industrial and manufacturing use cases worldwide.
- CTIA Certification and 5G-ACIA also plan to jointly organize an “Industrial 5G Day,” to be held this Fall in San Diego, CA. The event will focus on industrial 5G as a key enabler for the developments toward Industry 4.0 and the Factory of the Future, as well as how it will provide unprecedented performance to support even the most demanding and critical industrial applications. Sessions will be tailored for potential end users, automation specialists, and other stakeholders of this emerging ecosystem.
CTIA Certification’s mission is to create quality and consistency in certification across the wireless ecosystem, which translates into best-in-class products for users, including enterprises and consumers. CTIA Certification’s IoT Network Certified™ program delivers a simplified, streamlined, and accessible process for manufacturers to certify their wireless-enabled IoT devices according to globally recognized industry standards for excellence. This program provides the platform for the development of a 5G industrial IoT certification process.
5G-ACIA’s mission is to ensure the best possible applicability of 5G technology for connected industries, in particular the manufacturing and process industries. 5G-ACIA ensures that the interests and particular aspects of the industrial domain are adequately considered in 5G standardization and regulation. 5G-ACIA further ensures that the ongoing 5G developments are understood by and transferred to the industrial domain. This includes possible integration concepts and migration paths, together with the evaluation of key technologies emerging from 5G standardization bodies.
Tom Sawanobori, Chief Technology Officer, CTIA:
“The CTIA Certification team looks forward to our partnership with 5G-ACIA, which will benefit the manufacturing industry at large as we test and certify 5G devices for industrial use. As we move forward in developing the certification ecosystem for 5G manufacturing applications, we will connect manufacturers to trusted, certified technology that will help maximize the effectiveness, reliability, safety, and security of their operations.”
Dr. Andreas Mueller, 5G-ACIA General Chair:
“For us, the cooperation agreement with CTIA is a big step forward for supporting the establishment of a rich ecosystem of Industrial 5G products and solutions and for further strengthening the footprint of 5G-ACIA in North America. Our Industrial 5G Day in September in San Diego will be a great opportunity for all interested stakeholders to learn more about this and other initiatives of 5G-ACIA.”
About CTIA Certification:
The CTIA Certification Program, a global leader in certification for the wireless industry, began more than 30 years ago and through collaboration among subject matter experts in over a hundred member companies has grown to encompass a variety of programs. The family of programs includes the recently launched IoT Network Certified Program, the WISE™ certification program for device repair technicians and service providers, and PTCRB™ Certification, the widely respected device certification program for 4G and 5G devices. Since 1991, CTIA Certification’s trusted programs have created quality and consistency across the wireless ecosystem, translating into best-in-class products for consumers.
About 5G-ACIA:
The 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation (5G-ACIA) is the central global forum for shaping industrial 5G. 5G-ACIA members jointly prepare for the disruptive change 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 influence 5G development and deployment, in line with industrial imperatives. The currently more than 90 member organizations make the results of their work directly available to 3GPP, the main standardization body for developing 5G. 5G-ACIA is a market representation partner of 3GPP and has the formal status of a working party of ZVEI – Electro and Digital Industry Association.
