5G Fieldlab from KPN on Brainport Industries Campus

Reason for another location is that the manufacturing industry on which BIC focuses in Eindhoven has different use cases than the processing industry at, among others, Shell Pernis. Together with BIC, KPN will make 5G available to set up targeted Smart Industry projects with the new generation of mobile networks. We are also a member of the High Tech Software Cluster, also based at BIC, in which we are now setting up the first projects. We are also seeking to collaborate with other Smart Industry Fieldlabs and parties based at BIC.

5G indoor available at BIC

KPN’s customers in the manufacturing industry and established parties at the BIC will have the opportunity to experience the benefits of 5G in a representative environment. KPN will immediately make 5G indoor available at BIC, including the 3.5 GHz frequency that is ideally suited for testing high bandwidth use cases.

Paul Cobben, KPN’s Sector Developer Manufacturing: “With 5G indoor at 3.5 GHz, we can already start working now, as opposed to 3.5 GHz outdoor which we will only be able to use in 2022/2023.” Furthermore, KPN combines 5G indoor with UWB (Ultra Wide Band). UWB is used to track objects on the factory floor and in warehouses in real time. Their position can be determined up to 30 centimetres accurate, but often even more precise.

For BIC, the arrival of KPN is a new step in the creation of the Factory of the Future. Ferdinand Gremmen, Director SDK Vastgoed (VolkerWessels) and responsible for BIC: “Bringing KPN 5G to the Brainport Industries Campus is a new link in our ecosystem. It demonstrates our attractiveness for innovative companies like KPN, but at the same time offers new opportunities for our existing tenants. The combined action of hardware, software and support facilities will determine the future. It is precisely this combination that makes BIC stand out.

Many insights about 5G

“I am proud that we are taking our next step with 5G, now specifically focused on 5G indoor applications in the manufacturing industry,” Jacob Groote, EVP 5G at KPN, says. “Together with our customers and partners at BIC, we want to learn about 5G on factory floors and in warehouses. I am convinced that this will also provide many insights for other indoor environments such as hospitals and logistics centres.”

Cobben: “In this 5G Fieldlab for the manufacturing industry, we will soon be able to show everyone which 5G indoor use cases are possible in a factory environment. Think of virtual and augmented reality for production control, autonomous AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and 4K cameras for quality and safety, to name but a few. This is not only about speed but also about reliability and minimal delay in the network. Unlocking large numbers of wireless sensors will also play an important role in the further rollout of the Internet of Things (IoT). In this way, we make it clear that we can use 5G for very different use cases at the same time. We would like to discuss the added value of a ‘wireless factory’ with our partners and customers here at the BIC.”