Qualcomm partners with Bosch Rexroth, Siemens to demonstrate industrial 5G

Qualcomm has partnered with Bosch Rexroth and Siemens to demonstrate how 5G technologies will work in industrial manufacturing facilities.

TSN over 5G

Qualcomm hosted its demonstration with Bosch Rexroth at the 2019 Smart Production Solutions (SPS) trade fair, which ran Nov. 26 to 28 in Nuremberg, Germany. The proof-of-concept demo showed how time-sensitive networking (TSN) technology will operate over a live 5G network. TSN is a set of technology standards that enables real-time communication based on precise time synchronization, which can be used to provide precise control of machinery, robots and sensors in factory automation.

The addition of TSN support to the next release of the 5G standard, combined with 5G’s ultra-reliable low-latency capabilities, will allow this precise time synchronization to happen over wireless networks within a factory, bolstering flexible manufacturing capabilities.

The joint demo allowed visitors to view two industrial devices operating in a time-synchronized manner over a wireless connection. Bosch Rexroth presented their new ctrlX AUTOMATION solution, in which two ctrlX CORE controls interact with each other in real time over a 5G test network, which used a Qualcomm Technologies 5G industrial test device.

Private standalone 5G networks

Qualcomm Technologies and Siemens are demonstrating their proof-of-concept project at the Siemens Automotive Test Center in Nuremberg, Germany.

The companies have created the first private 5G standalone network in a real industrial environment using a spectrum band designated for industrial 5G use in Germany. Qualcomm Technologies set up 5G industrial test devices along with a 5G standalone test network, which includes a 5G core network and 5G base station with remote radio head. Siemens provided the actual industrial set-up, including Simatic control systems and IO devices.

In the course of this joint research effort, currently available industrial technologies such as OPC UA and Profinet will be tested and evaluated – technologies that require a 5G private network in order to work. These private networks allow industrial sites to control and manage their own networks as they see fit, allowing for high reliability, low latency, and the ability to reconfigure the network to suit changing needs while at the same time keeping data onsite for added security.