There are three major beneficial scenarios with 5G:

1. Speeds 10-20 times faster than with 4G – this scenario is called enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)

2. Highest Reliability with lowest guaranteed latencies below 10 ms with Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URRLC)

3. Up to 1 million devices can be connected per square kilometer thanks to Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC)

• For example, maximum data rates require compromises in the area of latencies.
• A focus on the lowest possible latencies means compromising on data rates or the number of participants connected.
• Whereas consumer applications primarily need high data rates, reliability and ultra-low latency are the most important factors in the industrial environment. That’s why industrial customers will choose a different focus when setting up their 5G networks. Because of these different focuses, there are two different demand profiles – public vs. industrial.

Public 5G networks

Public 5G networks are operated by mobile network operators, and make 5G available in a given region – just like the mobile wireless networks we have today. The main focus for operators of typical mobile wireless networks is to ensure plenty of bandwidth for as many users as possible, for example so they can stream films in 4K while on the move.

Private 5G networks

A private/local 5G network is operated by the user, e.g. an industrial company. It can be tailored to suit specific needs – for example, with a higher focus on low latency and high availability. Users also have control over their own data privacy. In a self-managed network, the data stays in the company, and the company decides which data is processed where.

Spectrum for private 5G networks

Companies require spectrum to use private networks. In Germany, the bandwidths from 3.7 to 3.8 GHz are available for this purpose. After an application has been submitted to the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), this spectrum can be leased at an affordable price and used exclusively within the company’s own premises. For example, the fees for the Siemens site in Nuremberg will amount to a little more than 7,000 euros over a ten-year period.

Industrie 4.0 applications

Many countries already enjoy a high level of industrial automation. But industrial companies must constantly improve their processes and find innovative ways to drive them forward in order to remain competitive and be able to respond quickly to changed market requirements. New applications like Industrial Edge, autonomous machines, intralogistics, and Augmented Reality applications for service technicians promise major potentials in this area. They all depend on extremely reliable wireless broadband communication with the lowest possible latencies.

Autonomous logistics

Industrial 5G offers reliable data transmissi

on with low latency, for example for the operation of automated guided vehicle systems (AGVs) in intralogistics.

Mobile equipment

Industrial 5G provides necessary connectivity for the growing number of communications-capable system components and mobile devices like industrial tablets, field PGs, RFID scanners, etc.