30.11.2021
In the 5G living lab, various partners from science and industry are researching the benefits of the 5G mobile communications standard in practice. It is considered the key technology of the future and enables data to be transmitted with low latency, and it is particularly secure and allows a high bandwidth. The living lab partners presented the first results at a digital half-time event on September 23rd and 24th, 2021.
The application areas in the project 5G living lab include mobility, healthcare, intelligent construction sites and so-called smart city services, such as a common data platform. PTB conducts research in the 5G living lab together with the German Aerospace Center, institutes of the TU Braunschweig, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits and the Institute for Automation and Communication.
"We are very proud to have such a living lab in our region. With it we are driving digital transformation and testing innovative use cases. This strengthens the research location and includes local companies from the start," explains Matthias Wunderling-Weilbier, State Secretary in the Lower Saxony Ministry for Federal and European Affairs and Regional Development. Mr. Wunderling-Weilbier is also the chairman of the project advisory board.
PTB's research in the 5G living lab focuses on the area of practical tests for technology assessment. Since 5G uses new frequency ranges and receivers with higher sensitivity, interference signals that can arise e.g., from passive intermodulation (PIM) are becoming more relevant. The researchers at PTB carry out PIM measurements both in the laboratory and in cooperation with network operators at cell phone base stations in the region. For the first time, vectorial PIM measurements traceable to International System of Units (SI) are to be carried out in the laboratory. The results of these measurements help ensure network quality.
The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is funding this project with 12 million euros. "The network of participating actors from the state of Lower Saxony and from the region who accompany and support the project is unique," emphasizes project manager Anna Schieben from the DLR Institute of Transportation Systems. "The cities of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg are directly involved in our activities as implementation partners and demonstrate and consolidate the project activities in the region. We can also use the existing infrastructures, such as the Test Bed Lower Saxony, Wolfsburg Digital or the Application Platform for Intelligent Mobility, and thereby generate synergies", continues Schieben. Interested companies, municipalities and cities can use the results of the living lab via the 5G forum, actively participate, and test use cases in the infrastructure of the living lab.
Figure: 5G living lab half-time event. (Credit: © DLR)
Department 2.2 „ High Frequency and Electromagnetic Fields“