5G communications: challenges and opportunities in key sectors

In ten years, 5G will provide connectivity to both the more than 7 billion inhabitants of the planet and 7 billion devices.

“The next generation of communications networks based on 5G technologies will not only have the capacity to connect, within a decade, the more than 7 billion inhabitants of the planet, but will provide connectivity to 7 billion devices, exponentially multiplying services and applications in all areas of the economy,” this is the conclusion of the day. 5G communications: challenges and opportunities in key sectors which organized by AMETIC and 5TONIC, the first 5G laboratory of excellence in Spain, was held this Thursday at the headquarters of the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and the Information Society.

5G technologies and their future applications in productive sectors have focused the content of a day in which it was recalled that the European Commission already set out in its manifesto on the next generation of communications networks, the possible use cases of 5G in vertical sectors such as health, transport, automotive, banking or security. "Within ten years the world will have evolved radically. 5G technologies will mean a spectacular change both in people's daily lives and in businesses and companies in all sectors of the economy," said José Manuel de Riva, president of AMETIC, an association decisively committed to digital transformation.

De Riva added, "the massive adoption of Information and Communications Technologies leads to greater productivity, improves efficiency and, ultimately, produces an increase in competitiveness. Countries that invest in incorporating ICT into their productive sectors progress at a better pace than others. 5G technologies will contribute decisively to the incorporation of SMEs into digital ecosystems and to the emergence of new services and business models."

For David del Val, Chairman of 5TONIC and CEO of Telefónica R&D, "with 5G, mobile networks begin for the first time an evolutionary path with multiple purposes such as low consumption for IoT, efficient coverage management or increased bandwidth to allow some new services. These paths sometimes do not converge so it will be key to determine very well which needs of our clients we most need to cover. That is why at 5TONIC we are going to focus on validating the usefulness of this technology to respond to real needs. The activities we are developing in the 5TONIC laboratory will allow us to test, choose and prioritize the functionalities of the candidate networks and services to be part of the future of 5G networks, so that the resulting system is consistent and coherent."

Collaboration

Por su parte, José Antonio López, consejero delegado, Ericsson España, ha asegurado que“5G presenta una oportunidad sin precedentes para que Europa recupere el liderazgo tecnológico. 5G será instrumental para atender las necesidades de la sociedad conectada y hacer realidad la transformación digital del resto de industrias y sabemos que el éxito de esta tecnología depende de la colaboración entre las industrias, academia y gobierno en nuevos ecosistemas. A través de nuestra participación en proyectos como el laboratorio 5Tonic de Telefónica, parte de nuestra iniciativa 5G for Europe, Ericsson no solo optimiza aspectos tecnológicos de 5G, sino que trabajamos estrechamente con diferentes industrias para desarrollar juntos las soluciones del futuro”.

The necessary collaboration between technological enablers and application sectors is key not only for the development of the 5G networks themselves, but for the growth and competitiveness of the productive fabric as a whole. Spain is aligned with the European strategy, contributes its own priorities in sectors such as tourism and is at the technological forefront of 5G thanks to initiatives such as the 5TONIC development and innovation laboratory, founded by Telefónica and the IMDEA Networks institute and located in the Community of Madrid. This specialized laboratory, together with the capacity of the national ICT sector represented by AMETIC and committed to 5G and institutional support, position our country in an excellent way for the future of communications.

“Las redes 5G suponen una revolución en las comunicaciones, y tendrán un profundo impacto socio-económico: la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid es líder en investigación y tecnología en 5G, en colaboración con las principales empresas mundiales en este campo”, ha afirmado en su intervención Juan Romo, rector de la Universidad Carlos III.

During the day, the technological and R&D&i challenges posed by 5G were highlighted in a context in which large companies worldwide are already positioning themselves to take advantage of the opportunities that 5G and the digital transformation of productive sectors will cause in the medium term. Digital transformation is a fundamental pillar within AMETIC's discourse and its activity, with great results in recent years where great achievements have been achieved in topics such as Smart Cities and urban development, 3D Internet, Cybersecurity or Industry 4.0 and application of technology to sectors such as tourism, agri-food or automotive, placing AMETIC and the technological sector at the epicenter of economic change.