5G at StandICT.eu Final Workshop: A showcase for 3GPP leadership in supporting vertical industries

On 5 December 2019, StandICT.eu held its Final Workshop entitled “Reflections and Sustainability – 24 months on”, showcasing the impacts of funding for ICT standardisation work across Europe through the Open Calls run by this Coordination and Support Action under Horizon 2020. 

The workshop in Brussels featured a session on the future needs and challenges for evolving standards from 2020 and beyond, with insights on 5G. 

Global5G.org supported the workshop through the participation of:

• Bernard Barani, Deputy Head of Unit at Unit E.1 (Future Connectivity Systems) giving the example of the new 3GPP support services for vertical industries as a direct outcome of efforts supported by Global5G.org, such as the plenary newcomers’ sessions; mentoring services and new template on requirements.
• Karin Loidl, Fraunhofer IIS and Global5G.org AB member. As a 3GPP SA1 delegate and member of 5G-ACIA and NGMN, Karin gave key insights on vertical industry requirements and use cases, explaining how on-going work is looking to support SMEs in their 5G adoption strategy and their inputs to the standardisation process moving forward. This can be the basis for boosting engagement on 5G standards with SMEs under FULL5G in concert with partner Jacques Magen, Interinnov and Chair of the SME WG (NetWorld2020 SME).

The workshop was an opportunity for Global5G.org to further boost its synergy with StandICT.eu through links to on-going efforts in the 5G-IA Pre-Standardization WG and through the 5G Vertical User Workshop series.

On top of this, the StandICT.eu showcase publication, Europe's Contribution to ICT Standardisation globally: Impacts fro StandICT.eu, gives key insights into inputs to standards organisation on 5G. The publication also shows how 3GPP is leading the way in terms of supporting vertical industries. Here are a few examples:

•  Jose Costa-Requena, Cumucore Oy and 5G-SMART (5G PPP phase 3) has contributed to 3GPP on 5G non-IP backhaul. This work has focused on how to distribute time synchronisation between fixed and cellular devices for industrial internet. Cumucore has demonstrated the usage of gPTP between fixed and mobile networks with low delay, thereby ensuring end-to-end synchronisation, which is mandatory for the use of 5G in industrial communications. The work, funded through StandICT.eu, is also a contribution to 5G-ACIA (5G Alliance for Connected Industry and Automation) and its white paper covering the requirements for time synchronisation in Time Sensitive Networks. 
•  David Gonzalez, Telefonica outlines participation in 3GPP RAN discussions, mainly on physical layer aspects (RAN 1), also following discussions on spectrum and radio frequency aspects (RAN 4). The specific focus is on requirements, coverage/range aspects and the feasibility of high frequency bands for V2X (vehicular communications). Based on the feedback received from other 3GPP specialists, work has been undertaken on millimetre waves, non-orthogonal multiple access, edge computing and distributed resource allocation. Outcomes include several scientific publications, intellectual property and preparations for contributing to the standard. According to Gonzalez, "the 3GPP is well aware of the need to close the gap with vertical industries, e.g. automotive sector. In that sense, the SA6 Working Group has recently been created". Participation in standardisation activities by Telefonica is also helping to close the gap, not only through direct technical inputs but also by getting a better picture of the requirements and expectations of the automotive sector.