Periodic Reporting for period 2 - VITAL-5G (Vertical Innovations in Transport And Logistics over 5G experimentation facilities)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30
The pan-European Transport & Logistics (T&L) eco-system is considered one of the main adopters of 5G, and as such, the successful transfer of 5G-empowered services from trials stages to production depends highly on the availability of flexible and intuitive tools and APIs for design, management and orchestration of services. VITAL-5G aims to address the following key challenges for the adoption of 5G in production services by T&L industry verticals:
A. 5G orchestration tools often maintain a network-centric vision, and very specific semantics (network-related)
B. There is a substantial mismatch of backgrounds existing between Telcos and Verticals in: a) where the network services can be deployed and trialed and how the various elements are interconnected; and b) the vertical applications logic often designed to rely on a flat “always-on” IP connectivity among interconnected functional elements
C. A significant number of packages for 5G/NFV experimentation have been produced so far, but most of these elements describe network-only services or apply to small trial experiments.
In this context, VITAL-5G taking into consideration these limitations, will release a flexible platform (Figure 1) adapted to serve the specific needs of the T&L sector focused on the creation, deployment, management and validation of Network Applications (NetApps). VITAL-5G will operate on state-of-the-art experimentation facilities to validate 5G-enabled T&L Vertical solutions and applications in real-life conditions. In particular, three T&L experimentation areas (Port of Antwerp, Galati Port on Danube River, Athens logistics hub) will be used for validation of T&L services developed by consortium partners or 3rd parties, making use of the VITAL-5G experimentation platform and its NetApps open repository.
Three main use cases (Figures 2,3,4) have been selected to showcase the capabilities of the VITAL-5G platform and NetApps for the T&L sector. These use cases will benefit from the associated facility technology upgrades at minimal cost, hence positioned to clearly showcase the added value of 5G connectivity for the T&L sector.
The 3rd party enrolment, will allow to expand the validation of the VITAL-5G platform with closer-to-market NetApp scenarios thus significantly assisting in providing a baseline for a T&L NetApps business ecosystem.
VITAL-5G aims to:
1. Drive and foster the development and sharing of novel vertical-specific and vertical-agnostic NetApps for the T&L sector by supporting open source tools and an open repository for flexible and interoperable deployment through its platform.
2. Deliver an open, virtualized 5G-enabled testing and validation experimentation facility, which will provide the means for relevant T&L stakeholders to deploy and benchmark the performance of their innovative NetApps on top of a 5G network.
3. Demonstrate the benefit and showcase the added value of 5G connectivity for advanced logistics services across European warehouses, sea and river ports, creating a functional value chain for highly automated freight transportation.
4. Provide customized and virtualized access to network and T&L infrastructure resources, enabling dynamic tailor-made service provisioning to 3rd parties (such as SMEs) to validate their applications over resources otherwise unavailable to them, thus boosting confidence prior to actual service deployment.
5. Enable novel business models development for open, integrated and cooperative services across multiple domains, addressing specific T&L use cases and to justify the investment from key stakeholders.
6. Foster the development and advancement of a T&L centered ecosystem, which will drive the European integration of 5G services into the T&L vertical, by bringing together key vertical stakeholders with SMEs developing cutting-edge technology and applications.
A. 5G orchestration tools often maintain a network-centric vision, and very specific semantics (network-related)
B. There is a substantial mismatch of backgrounds existing between Telcos and Verticals in: a) where the network services can be deployed and trialed and how the various elements are interconnected; and b) the vertical applications logic often designed to rely on a flat “always-on” IP connectivity among interconnected functional elements
C. A significant number of packages for 5G/NFV experimentation have been produced so far, but most of these elements describe network-only services or apply to small trial experiments.
In this context, VITAL-5G taking into consideration these limitations, will release a flexible platform (Figure 1) adapted to serve the specific needs of the T&L sector focused on the creation, deployment, management and validation of Network Applications (NetApps). VITAL-5G will operate on state-of-the-art experimentation facilities to validate 5G-enabled T&L Vertical solutions and applications in real-life conditions. In particular, three T&L experimentation areas (Port of Antwerp, Galati Port on Danube River, Athens logistics hub) will be used for validation of T&L services developed by consortium partners or 3rd parties, making use of the VITAL-5G experimentation platform and its NetApps open repository.
Three main use cases (Figures 2,3,4) have been selected to showcase the capabilities of the VITAL-5G platform and NetApps for the T&L sector. These use cases will benefit from the associated facility technology upgrades at minimal cost, hence positioned to clearly showcase the added value of 5G connectivity for the T&L sector.
The 3rd party enrolment, will allow to expand the validation of the VITAL-5G platform with closer-to-market NetApp scenarios thus significantly assisting in providing a baseline for a T&L NetApps business ecosystem.
VITAL-5G aims to:
1. Drive and foster the development and sharing of novel vertical-specific and vertical-agnostic NetApps for the T&L sector by supporting open source tools and an open repository for flexible and interoperable deployment through its platform.
2. Deliver an open, virtualized 5G-enabled testing and validation experimentation facility, which will provide the means for relevant T&L stakeholders to deploy and benchmark the performance of their innovative NetApps on top of a 5G network.
3. Demonstrate the benefit and showcase the added value of 5G connectivity for advanced logistics services across European warehouses, sea and river ports, creating a functional value chain for highly automated freight transportation.
4. Provide customized and virtualized access to network and T&L infrastructure resources, enabling dynamic tailor-made service provisioning to 3rd parties (such as SMEs) to validate their applications over resources otherwise unavailable to them, thus boosting confidence prior to actual service deployment.
5. Enable novel business models development for open, integrated and cooperative services across multiple domains, addressing specific T&L use cases and to justify the investment from key stakeholders.
6. Foster the development and advancement of a T&L centered ecosystem, which will drive the European integration of 5G services into the T&L vertical, by bringing together key vertical stakeholders with SMEs developing cutting-edge technology and applications.
The work performed and main results achieved by the project so far follows:
- Finalized implementation and integration of the VITAL-5G Open Repository, providing a catalogue of Network Application packages and blueprints, service and experiment blueprints.
- VITAL-5G has delivered an open, virtualized 5G-enabled testing and validation experimentation facility,enabling the deployment and benchmarking of the performance of Network Applications on top of a 5G network.
- Final versions of various Network Applications have been implemented, onboarded and tested in the VITAL-5G system.
- An experimentation and a validation methodology has been established and used for the reporting of both internal and 3rd party trials.
- Both interal trials in the 3 nodes as well as the 3rd party trials have been concluded. .
- The outcome of the engagement strategies has resulted in 60 3rd parties engagement out of which 20 have been fully onboarded, executed trials and reported their results successfully. Furthermore, additional 30 engagements have been achieved as additional 3rd party experimentation on the GR node.
- During this period the updated Market Analysis Report and the updated Business Plan has been submitted, covering three major areas:
o Business modelling for the VITAL-5G Platform assets.
o Sustainability plans for the project’s vertical services, which were developed and tested as part of the project use case trials.
o Impact assessment and exploitation for various project outcomes/results that are of significant value, either for partner organisations or when made available to external organisations, covering all partners in the consortium.
- 2 Filed patents and and updated version of the Data Management Report has been submitted.
- The project’s results of this period were disseminated to all target audiences, using online and printed media. The D&C efforts resulted in the Co-authoring and/or editing 13 white papers through the participation in 5G-PPP activities, the publication of 18 conference proceedings, 2 journals (3 under evaluation), the production of 20 videos and 6 newsletters.
- Finalized implementation and integration of the VITAL-5G Open Repository, providing a catalogue of Network Application packages and blueprints, service and experiment blueprints.
- VITAL-5G has delivered an open, virtualized 5G-enabled testing and validation experimentation facility,enabling the deployment and benchmarking of the performance of Network Applications on top of a 5G network.
- Final versions of various Network Applications have been implemented, onboarded and tested in the VITAL-5G system.
- An experimentation and a validation methodology has been established and used for the reporting of both internal and 3rd party trials.
- Both interal trials in the 3 nodes as well as the 3rd party trials have been concluded. .
- The outcome of the engagement strategies has resulted in 60 3rd parties engagement out of which 20 have been fully onboarded, executed trials and reported their results successfully. Furthermore, additional 30 engagements have been achieved as additional 3rd party experimentation on the GR node.
- During this period the updated Market Analysis Report and the updated Business Plan has been submitted, covering three major areas:
o Business modelling for the VITAL-5G Platform assets.
o Sustainability plans for the project’s vertical services, which were developed and tested as part of the project use case trials.
o Impact assessment and exploitation for various project outcomes/results that are of significant value, either for partner organisations or when made available to external organisations, covering all partners in the consortium.
- 2 Filed patents and and updated version of the Data Management Report has been submitted.
- The project’s results of this period were disseminated to all target audiences, using online and printed media. The D&C efforts resulted in the Co-authoring and/or editing 13 white papers through the participation in 5G-PPP activities, the publication of 18 conference proceedings, 2 journals (3 under evaluation), the production of 20 videos and 6 newsletters.
The progress beyond the state of the art, the expected results until the end of the project and the potential impacts are summarized below:
- Definition of unified and vertical-oriented information models for NetApps blueprints and packages, to facilitate the design, implementation and sharing of new NetApps from multiple stakeholders, including SMEs, for the creation and delivery of 5G-enabled T&L services.
- Conclude the development of the VITAL-5G platform software components, and the development of software assets of the VITAL-5G NetApps. Integrate the components to the VITAL-5G platform in order to realise the VITAL-5G E2E system.
- Finalize all the VITAL-5G infrastructure upgrades & extensions, with the activities related to the 5G system components integration, E2E integration into a single system and testing, providing the interoperability of the different HW and SW elements.
- Perform full trials to acquire results from the various trial sites and continue the experimentation and validation activities for NetApps and vertical services of the internal use cases, collecting the related KPIs.
- Make available the developed assets through the VITAL-5G Online repository and onboard and guide 3rd party experimenters to set-up their own trials and experiments.
- Further develop the commercialization strategy and business plan esp. related to the VITAL-5G platform as well as focus on the innovation management activities of the VITAL-5G outcomes.
- Definition of unified and vertical-oriented information models for NetApps blueprints and packages, to facilitate the design, implementation and sharing of new NetApps from multiple stakeholders, including SMEs, for the creation and delivery of 5G-enabled T&L services.
- Conclude the development of the VITAL-5G platform software components, and the development of software assets of the VITAL-5G NetApps. Integrate the components to the VITAL-5G platform in order to realise the VITAL-5G E2E system.
- Finalize all the VITAL-5G infrastructure upgrades & extensions, with the activities related to the 5G system components integration, E2E integration into a single system and testing, providing the interoperability of the different HW and SW elements.
- Perform full trials to acquire results from the various trial sites and continue the experimentation and validation activities for NetApps and vertical services of the internal use cases, collecting the related KPIs.
- Make available the developed assets through the VITAL-5G Online repository and onboard and guide 3rd party experimenters to set-up their own trials and experiments.
- Further develop the commercialization strategy and business plan esp. related to the VITAL-5G platform as well as focus on the innovation management activities of the VITAL-5G outcomes.