Cross-industry programme brings together industries, the public sector and leading universities to strengthen competitiveness of European industry
Ericsson has today announced the expansion of its cross-industry 5G research and development (R&D) programme to a range of European markets. The 5G for Europe programme will bring together major industrial players, the public sector and leading universities across Europe to strengthen the continent’s competitiveness and maximise the benefits of the networked society, Ericsson claimed.
Driven by Ericsson, 5G for Europe will focus on delivering research, innovation and industrial pilots that use next generation 5G networks as an enabler. The programme will initiate cross-industry research collaborations focused on the integration of ICT in industry processes, products and services, and which utilise Europe’s position as the region with the world’s second largest R&D spend.
The programme will also create innovation projects that enable smaller companies to cooperate with a wide range of industry players, to interact with academia, and to secure early and affordable technology access.
5G for Europe will also deliver industry pilots of possible 5G solutions in areas including transport and automotive, the Internet of Things, utilities, public safety, public infrastructure and retail.
Ulf Ewaldsson, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Ericsson, said: “5G is the next step in the evolution of mobile communication and will be a fundamental enabler of the networked society. However, Ericsson needs to work together with industries to understand their specific network requirements in order to realise the full benefits of 5G technologies.
“By expanding our 5G programme to include major partners across Europe, we will gain valuable insights that will enable industries to digitalise effectively, to create new value and to strengthen the competitive position of European industry,” he said.
The programme’s academic and research partners include major technical universities such as Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany, Universidad Carlos III of Madrid, Spain, IMDEA Networks Institute, Madrid, Spain, and King’s College, London, UK.
Among the industry partners are leading enterprises such as wiseSense, Weiss Robotics and MyOmega System Technology in Germany and Zucchetti Centro Sistemi in Italy.
In March 2015, Ericsson launched the 5G for Sweden R&D programme, together with partners in Swedish industry and academia. 5G for Europe broadens this initiative to seven countries and 10 institutions, with further partners to be included over time.
