People in Worcester will finally have the 5G experience as the Worcestershire 5G Consortium launched a 5G testbed there. This is the UK's first 5G factory trial as they are aiming towards Industry 4.0.
In an article published in Forbes, the Worcestershire 5G Consortium teamed up with the Worcester Bosch to launch the 5G factory trial in the UK. The test will have things like using 5G to increase factory, real-time feedback, using the Internet of Things sensors for preventative maintenance and using data analytics to protect and avoid potential errors.
In this 5G trial, Worcester Bosch is allowed to react in real time to events and situations happening in the factory. It can even pre-empt problems so that they can solve it before it even occurs.
Carl Arntzen, CEO of Worcester, said he is looking forward to measuring the productivity gains that the test will follow. He added that it is important to their business to have the real-time element that 5G brings.
He furthermore said that this 5G trial can make them react in real time in the factory environment. This is in order for them to mitigate any losses in output and protect their business bottom line.
This is also seen as a step closer to Industry 4.0 or the fourth generation of the industrial revolution. According to an article published by 5G UK, Industry 4.0 aims to be the generation of smart technology as the third generation was all aimed at computerization.
Yamazaki Mazak, a Japanese manufacturer, was also involved in the 5G factory trials. He will monitor how 5G can be used for troubleshooting applications such as having senior engineers guiding onsite engineers through machine maintenance.
The 5G trial in Worcestershire will also focus on security. Qinetic is designing security into the network and applications in "security by design" or essentially building the technology from the ground up with security in their mind.
All the 5G trials will test end-to-end application performance as it takes initial measures of 5G speeds and latency. According to Mark Stansfeld, Worcestershire 5G Testbed, and Trials chair, the 5G trial is a monumental step in delivering the vision of Worcestershire 5G to bring a productivity increase to the economy of UK and to the manufacturing sector.
Stansfeld added that he is proud of the collaboration between all consortium members. He said they will closely monitor and deliver the expected results from the 5G trials.
