Competence Center 5G.NRW

The projected "Competence Center 5G.NRW" focuses upon its activities within six work packages, in which the areas of focus are developed further together with the NRW 5G actors. This also includes an ongoing discussion with representatives of the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy (MWIDE) and other relevant political institutions.

• 5G.NRW Technology Monitoring 5G and Beyond
• 5G.NRW Accompanying Research for the Initiative "5G Test Fields" in the Works
• 5G.NRW Experimental Platforms and Demonstration Laboratories
• 5G.NRW Transfer
• 5G.NRW Network
• 5G.NRW Communication and Project Management

Responsible for the projected "Competence Center 5G.NRW" is the well-functioning team - as has been proved in previous collaborations - of the universities of Wuppertal as the lead manager, Duisburg-Essen, Dortmund and the FIR e. V. at RWTH Aachen.

In the course of this, the TU Dortmund, respectively the Communication Networks Institute, is primarily to develop digitalization options by means of 5G.NRW experimental platforms and demonstration laboratories. The aim is to provide NRW companies with 5G platforms as proof of concept for their usages as well as to attend substantial series of tests and to be part of a process of gaining experiences.

Additionally, the TU Dortmund engages in the organization and support of panels of experts (so-called Rocket Sessions), in the competition test fields 5G, in the transfer of knowledge and technology (Best Practices, Roadshows & NRW.Conferences), as well as in the setting up and maintaining of panels of experts for the exchange and know-how transfer between the important actors and stakeholders of the area of 5G.

In the digital strategy of the Federal State NRW, the aim "Leading Market for 5G" is set: "Especially the extremely densely populated North Rhine-Westphalia with its huge amount of big and small companies of the information and communication branch and with the research competence in the digital area on hand here can be a pioneer for mobile communications in Germany" (Landesregierung NRW 2018: Strategie für das digitale Nordrhein-Westfalen, p. 61).

For the development of a leading market, the initialization of the 5G technique needs to be accelerated in order to test its strong points and weaknesses in practice and to deduce realistic recommendations for the usage as well as to add to the optimization of the systems. At that, it is essential, that corresponding investigations and projects always prominently include the vertical industries, by the demands of which 5G networks will be determined. Only if the concrete usage of 5G can be demonstrated under demanding conditions in the field, the transition of a local to a comprehensive extension can be accomplished.

The outlined project, "Competence Center 5G.NRW", does exactly that and is going to impel the development to the leading market 5G by means of the three substantial force vectors:

• reducing the technical initial challenges for companies
• developing the economic potential for the verticals
• speeding up the innovation merger – 5G and Beyond

Further information:

• Pressemitteilung Wirtschaft.NRW vom 17.06.2019
• Webauftritt 5G.NRW