Periodic Reporting for period 3 - 5G CONNI (Private 5G Networks for Connected Industries)
Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2022-12-31
A key promise associated with the fifth generation of mobile communication networks (5G) is the expansion of its scope beyond individual human end users towards an integrated communication system, which also provides wireless connectivity to new vertical applications driven by industries such as manufacturing, automotive, health or agriculture. Sparked by this promise, the last years have seen a surge in research and development activities targeting 5G technologies around the globe. With 3GPP Release 15 finished in mid-2018, the first commercial deployments of 5G networks are being rolled out at the moment.
Meanwhile, the ongoing proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICT) into industrial production is regarded today as a new stage in the industrial revolution, commonly termed as “Industry 4.0”. Future Smart Factories envisioned in that context will leverage Industry 4.0 technology to increase flexibility and efficiency of the manufacturing processes. This will enable more demand-oriented manufacturing with reduced lot sizes and more product variants while simultaneously improving quality control and cost efficiency. Wireless communication technology and especially 5G is widely regarded as a key enabler for Industry 4.0.
The use cases for wireless communications introduced by Industry 4.0 applications pose new technology requirements for individual KPIs such as latency, packet delivery jitter, reliability or achievable throughput but also regarding the systems dependability, i.e. the ability to make guarantees for deterministic behaviour. These requirements are typically quite distinct from those that have traditionally guided the design and deployment of public land mobile networks, especially for mobile broadband use cases. While 5G technologies such as network slicing may accommodate industrial applications in public networks, the generational leap offers the opportunity to not only re-architect the network, but also operator and deployment models. Private 5G Networks, operating locally and highly optimized towards specific applications, are envisioned by the 5G CONNI partners to be an important component in helping both 5G and Industry 4.0 deliver on their promises.
The 5G CONNI project brings together major players in ICT and Industry 4.0 from Europe and Taiwan with the joint vision of paving the way for industrial 5G applications and accelerating deployments. Its overall objective is to demonstrate 5G radio, network and cloud technologies as enablers for future Smart Factories by integrating private local 5G networks into a multi-site end-to-end industrial communication testbed.
In pursuit of this objective, 5G CONNI will
- Realize at least two selected industrial 5G use cases at interconnected real-world trial sites in Europe and Taiwan
- Conduct measurements and develop tools for application specific coverage prediction and network planning with focus on indoor industrial environments
- Investigate key enabling technologies for industrial applications with focus on mobile edge computing and URLLC communication
- Provide input to regulatory bodies to facilitate realization of the developed operator models
- Develop methodologies for and conduct end-to-end 5G system verification with focus on interoperability and use case specific KPIs (e.g. latency, reliability)
- Foster the collaboration of European and Taiwanese key players from both communications and production industries allowing them to leverage synergies and thus realize an increased impact on internationally harmonized regulation and standardization, creating better commercialization opportunities
Meanwhile, the ongoing proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICT) into industrial production is regarded today as a new stage in the industrial revolution, commonly termed as “Industry 4.0”. Future Smart Factories envisioned in that context will leverage Industry 4.0 technology to increase flexibility and efficiency of the manufacturing processes. This will enable more demand-oriented manufacturing with reduced lot sizes and more product variants while simultaneously improving quality control and cost efficiency. Wireless communication technology and especially 5G is widely regarded as a key enabler for Industry 4.0.
The use cases for wireless communications introduced by Industry 4.0 applications pose new technology requirements for individual KPIs such as latency, packet delivery jitter, reliability or achievable throughput but also regarding the systems dependability, i.e. the ability to make guarantees for deterministic behaviour. These requirements are typically quite distinct from those that have traditionally guided the design and deployment of public land mobile networks, especially for mobile broadband use cases. While 5G technologies such as network slicing may accommodate industrial applications in public networks, the generational leap offers the opportunity to not only re-architect the network, but also operator and deployment models. Private 5G Networks, operating locally and highly optimized towards specific applications, are envisioned by the 5G CONNI partners to be an important component in helping both 5G and Industry 4.0 deliver on their promises.
The 5G CONNI project brings together major players in ICT and Industry 4.0 from Europe and Taiwan with the joint vision of paving the way for industrial 5G applications and accelerating deployments. Its overall objective is to demonstrate 5G radio, network and cloud technologies as enablers for future Smart Factories by integrating private local 5G networks into a multi-site end-to-end industrial communication testbed.
In pursuit of this objective, 5G CONNI will
- Realize at least two selected industrial 5G use cases at interconnected real-world trial sites in Europe and Taiwan
- Conduct measurements and develop tools for application specific coverage prediction and network planning with focus on indoor industrial environments
- Investigate key enabling technologies for industrial applications with focus on mobile edge computing and URLLC communication
- Provide input to regulatory bodies to facilitate realization of the developed operator models
- Develop methodologies for and conduct end-to-end 5G system verification with focus on interoperability and use case specific KPIs (e.g. latency, reliability)
- Foster the collaboration of European and Taiwanese key players from both communications and production industries allowing them to leverage synergies and thus realize an increased impact on internationally harmonized regulation and standardization, creating better commercialization opportunities
After its conclusion, the main technical achievements of 5G CONNI are:
- Four industrial 5G use cases have been defined, analyzed, implemented and demonstrated: “Process Diagnosis Using Augmented/Virtual Reality with CNC and Sensing Data Collection”, "Cloud-based Controller for Fixture System”, "Robot Platform with Edge Intelligence and Control" and "Remote Expert Support for Process Diagnosis"
- Architectural models for private 5G deployments were investigated with special emphasis on the requirements and concerns associated with each involved stakeholder. Comprehensive evaluation methodology for operator models was developed and applied to the previously identified models.
- A comprehensive radio channel measurement campaign in an industrial environment at 3.7 GHz, 28 GHz and 300 GHz was performed and analyzed to obtain new channel model parameters. Novel algorithms for radio connectivity map estimation and optimal placement of radio and computational resources in the edge cloud have been developed and tested using data from the project's deployment activities.
- Key technical enablers for industrial private 5G were developed, including Open RAN radio access network equipment, a 5G core network prototype, a lightweight orchestration framework for virtual core network functions and a bump-in-the-wire mobile edge cloud solution. Work towards future enhancements of the network focused on dynamic resource allocation and methods for deterministic ultra-reliable low latency communication.
- A private 5G network operating in 3GPP FR1 and covering three geographically dispersed sites in Europe and Taiwan was deployed, implementing both the fully private and hybrid deployment models. All parts of the network were configurable under a newly developed unified configuration data provisioning system. These deployments were then used to demonstrate the four implemented use cases.
- Four industrial 5G use cases have been defined, analyzed, implemented and demonstrated: “Process Diagnosis Using Augmented/Virtual Reality with CNC and Sensing Data Collection”, "Cloud-based Controller for Fixture System”, "Robot Platform with Edge Intelligence and Control" and "Remote Expert Support for Process Diagnosis"
- Architectural models for private 5G deployments were investigated with special emphasis on the requirements and concerns associated with each involved stakeholder. Comprehensive evaluation methodology for operator models was developed and applied to the previously identified models.
- A comprehensive radio channel measurement campaign in an industrial environment at 3.7 GHz, 28 GHz and 300 GHz was performed and analyzed to obtain new channel model parameters. Novel algorithms for radio connectivity map estimation and optimal placement of radio and computational resources in the edge cloud have been developed and tested using data from the project's deployment activities.
- Key technical enablers for industrial private 5G were developed, including Open RAN radio access network equipment, a 5G core network prototype, a lightweight orchestration framework for virtual core network functions and a bump-in-the-wire mobile edge cloud solution. Work towards future enhancements of the network focused on dynamic resource allocation and methods for deterministic ultra-reliable low latency communication.
- A private 5G network operating in 3GPP FR1 and covering three geographically dispersed sites in Europe and Taiwan was deployed, implementing both the fully private and hybrid deployment models. All parts of the network were configurable under a newly developed unified configuration data provisioning system. These deployments were then used to demonstrate the four implemented use cases.
5G CONNI will make important contributions for a better understanding of these peculiarities and for enabling the use of private 5G factory networks in the future. That being said, the project seeks to advance the state of the art in four areas:
1) Architecture and Operator Models for Private 5G Networks: Development of suitable deployment strategies and operator models, which may support different levels of autonomy for the factory owner with different levels of cooperation with established mobile network operators
2) Design, Planning and Operation of Private 5G Networks: Extensive channel measurements and novel algorithms for radio and resource planning
3) Enabling Technologies for Industrial Applications: Development of RAN, Core, Mobile Edge Computing and application components to support industrial private 5G networks
4) End-to-End Integration of 5G and Industrial Technologies: Suitable architectures for private 5G factory networks, including their integration into the existing infrastructure
To the best of our knowledge, 5G CONNI was the first major EU project having such a strong focus on private 5G networks. Innovation may be triggered as completely new ecosystems may emerge around private 5G networks, which may enable start-ups and other players to offer tailored products and services. Competition, on the other hand, may be in-creased as established players from the ICT industry (e.g. traditional mobile network operators) may face new competitors and thus are forced to adjust their business models as well. First steps in this direction can already be seen today, as major operators start offering dedicated campus network solutions as well. This increased competition will eventually trigger additional innovation and may be beneficial for the whole society at the end.
1) Architecture and Operator Models for Private 5G Networks: Development of suitable deployment strategies and operator models, which may support different levels of autonomy for the factory owner with different levels of cooperation with established mobile network operators
2) Design, Planning and Operation of Private 5G Networks: Extensive channel measurements and novel algorithms for radio and resource planning
3) Enabling Technologies for Industrial Applications: Development of RAN, Core, Mobile Edge Computing and application components to support industrial private 5G networks
4) End-to-End Integration of 5G and Industrial Technologies: Suitable architectures for private 5G factory networks, including their integration into the existing infrastructure
To the best of our knowledge, 5G CONNI was the first major EU project having such a strong focus on private 5G networks. Innovation may be triggered as completely new ecosystems may emerge around private 5G networks, which may enable start-ups and other players to offer tailored products and services. Competition, on the other hand, may be in-creased as established players from the ICT industry (e.g. traditional mobile network operators) may face new competitors and thus are forced to adjust their business models as well. First steps in this direction can already be seen today, as major operators start offering dedicated campus network solutions as well. This increased competition will eventually trigger additional innovation and may be beneficial for the whole society at the end.