5G research network on the Aachen campus starts live operation

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The 5G Industry Campus Europe switched on its radio network on May 12, 2020: With an area of ​​almost one square kilometer, 19 antennas and a bandwidth of ten gigabits per second, the largest 5G research network in Europe is launching.

The network at the RWTH Aachen Campus, funded by the Federal Ministry of austria gambling data Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), connects the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT, the Machine Tools Laboratory WZL at RWTH Aachen, the Research Institute for Rationalization (FIR) at RWTH Aachen and, in the future, other institutes of the university with the new mobile communications standard .

Together, the partners at the 5G-Industry Campus Europe can now extensively research and test the areas of application of 5G in industrial applications.

It was only in March that the 5G Industry Campus Europe was granted its first 5G license in the 3.7 to 3.8 gigahertz range, and the network went live on May 12. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is funding the ambitious project with around 6 million euros. Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer: "With the 5G Industry Campus Europe, we have created the largest 5G research network in Europe. It should help us to network 5G research and Industry 4.0. I am firmly convinced that projects like this are the future of German industry."

The aim of the partners involved is to open up new fields of application for 5G mobile communications technology in production: "This is where the future of innovative production is being created. Together with companies and research partners, we are creating a completely new infrastructure with the 5G Industry Campus Europe in which we can test and trial various 5G applications in manufacturing and logistics. This completely redefines the previous requirements for the industries," explains Niels König, who is leading and coordinating the project on behalf of the Fraunhofer IPT.

Over the next three years, the Fraunhofer IPT will work with project partners from WZL and FIR to develop and implement applications and solutions for digitalized and networked production. The partners for the development of the 5G infrastructure are the mobile network equipment manufacturer Ericsson and the IT Center of RWTH Aachen.