Adelaide has been selected as the location for a new 5G Industrial Incubation Lab by a Finnish telecommunications company which is already supporting improvements in safety, productivity and efficiency at Adelaide Airport.
Based at the University of Adelaide, the federally funded 5G Industrial Incubation Lab was first announced in August 2021 following an agreement between the telecom and the South Australia Government’s Department for Trade and Investment.
The Lab is an exciting addition to South Australia’s economy and hi-tech ecosystem with 5G having the potential to contribute $8 trillion to global GDP by 2030 and covering a wide variety of industries, including mining, transport and health.
Opening the 5G Industrial Incubation Lab to a broad set of industries will encourage the development of an ecosystem of technology leaders in Adelaide and further positions South Australia as a true innovation hub for the entire Oceania region.
5G wireless technology has the ability to connect mobile robots, machines, sensors, computers, and people creating opportunities to relay data more rapidly. This, in turn, enables the automation and operation of robots and drones. The productivity improvements resulting from this automation will create significant economic growth in South Australia.
The Managing Director of the telecommunications firm for Oceania stated that the company is proud to bring its 5G technology leadership to South Australia and the exciting new 5G use cases that are being developed at the 5G Industrial Incubation Lab. Through the lab, and together with its ecosystem partners, industries are being shown the benefits of 5G for safer, more efficient and more sustainable operations.
The 5G Industrial Incubation Lab has deployed and commissioned a 5G network at the University of Adelaide, which has been placed inside a shielded room (Faraday cage) to ensure there is no interference with the public 5G network.
The Lab has undertaken three pilot projects supported by Adelaide Airport Limited, South Australian Power Network and the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, underpinned by the expertise of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML). The projects cover:
- Airport situational awareness for securing public safety using video cameras
- Rail safety via cameras and scene analytics using big data
- Energy management in a power network via 5G connectivity.
Adelaide Airport Limited is one of the lab’s first industry customers. Currently, it is testing a variety of cameras and wearables including the HoloLens camera developed by an American multinational technology corporation. The aim is to determine the optimal 5G bandwidth required to most effectively run remote operations. The results are being used to determine how a 5G scaled deployment can improve the safety and efficiency of Adelaide Airport’s operations, across multiple sites, including Parafield Airport.
For Adelaide Airport, high-definition video streaming will be used for real-time analysis of airport inspection and safety monitoring. Using 5G wireless technology is a future platform for connecting mobile robots, machines, sensors, computers and people, creating opportunities for automation hasn’t been possible on a scale that up until now.
In this way, 5G-enabled networks will be essential for the automation of the world’s physical industries, leading to productivity gains.
The EGM for Technology and Innovation at Adelaide Airport Limited stated that working with the Industrial Incubation Lab has provided us with a much better understanding of the benefits 5G can bring to our airport’s business.
The telecom has already hired two full-time engineers to work on the National 5G Industrial Incubation Lab and further growth is anticipated in line with business demand. It is expected the firm’s expertise in 5G with the Azure Space platform will provide a national unique capability for industrial automation and other critical industries in South Australia. An ecosystem has been established to support and grow the lab’s 5G capabilities. These partners include the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML), MIT bigdata Living Lab, Adelaide Airport Limited, SA Power Networks as well as the South Australian Government among others.
