Connecting Devices using 5G Technology
As excitement around 5G technology grows, HMS continues to be a leader in determining how to best realize the benefits of 5G in industrial use cases. As part of this effort, HMS is a member of the 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation (5G-ACIA) and presented at 5G-ACIA’s workshop in Chicago in June. 5G-ACIA goal is to make sure that the interests of the industrial domain are taken into account in 5G standardization and regulation.
In June, HMS presented at 5G-ACIA’s first United States based workshop in Chicago. More than 45 companies and organizations attended the 5G-ACIA workshop in Chicago to discuss and evaluate the technical, regulatory, and business aspects of 5G technology for the industrial domain. 5G’s success in the industrial space is dependent on collaboration between many new stakeholders. This is evident is 5G-ACIA’s member and event attendee list which included many operations technology (OT) companies from the manufacturing side and information and communications technology (ICT) companies. Over the course of two days, the group discussed various applications, challenges, requirements, architecture, and regulation of 5G for industrial uses. The conversations were very collaborative and will be used to influence the 5G standardization process done by the 3GPP organization.
Jason Block, a HMS Networks Solution Manager, was a feature presenter on Day 1 at the 5G-ACIA event. Jason gave an enlightening presentation called “5G for Mobile Robotics: Scaling for the Future” in which he discussed the benefits and potential impact of 5G for mobile industrial applications such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). Jason Block states “5G has huge benefits for mobile applications in terms of scalability and performance. For example, availability to new parts of the frequency spectrum allow for less network congestion. Also, seamless roaming among multiple 5G base stations is possible which results in less packet loss and fewer bit errors. This gives us a more reliable and scalable technology which is necessary for AGV deployments.”
Other presentations at the event included discussions on 5G architecture, CBRS technology, other use cases from OT, requirements and viewpoint for ICT companies, and historical analysis on other wireless technologies. This workshop was an important step towards a central and global dialogue across ICT and OT stakeholders to ensure 5G benefits are realized to their maximum potential. If you are interested in learning more about 5G-ACIA, please visit www.5g-acia.org.
HMS continues to be a leader in 5G for industrial applications. If you are interested in learning more about 5G and what HMS is doing with 5G, see our webinar here on the benefits of 5G in the factory: