This week was the UK’s 5G Showcase 2022 in Birmingham and we were of course in attendance. We had a chance to mingle with some of the most interesting people in technology today, and see some of what 5G is capable of both now and in the future.
Throughout the event were speakers from government ministers to captains of industry. Talks were obviously 5G focused but ranged from networking in the creative sector to challenges and opportunities in cyber security, and from empowering rural connected communities to fast tracking innovation through accelerators.
Ian Jenner, from our 5GEM project partner VFE, took to the stage and presented during the 5G in manufacturing session. He gave a rapt audience the low-down on how the 5GEM Project is demonstrating 5G’s abilities to revolutionise manufacturing in the auto industry, enabled by Atlas software and ATS Global’s 30+ years of domain knowledge and expertise.
We’re proud to say that we were nominated for the Most Innovative Use of 5G at the conference, though unfortunately we didn’t take the win on this occasion. Just to be nominated alongside some shining examples of cutting edge networking innovation was very much appreciated though.
Beyond Ian’s talk, we also set ourselves up in the exhibition area where our project team ran a stand showcasing the live data collected through the edge in our Atlas platform.
The event gave some fascinating insights into how 5G is being used and could be used in the future, but it also gave us some idea of the challenges faced at the moment. Our top takeaways in that area would be:
- A lack of global standards. For example in common data models, spectrum licensing and other cross industry considerations
- A shortfall on current knowledge with wireless networks, and a lack of applicable use cases
- A potentially shallow skill pool to draw from when it comes to implementing 5G systems
- Questions around the efficacy of current privacy and security systems
The overall cost and magnitude of network technology
Despite the challenges, we saw that there were real inroads into making 5G mass adoption a reality. Many of the suggestions fall right in line with our own methodologies and techniques.
There was a general consensus that any 5G projects should start small, with achievable MVP’s acting as proof-of-value or proof-of-concept examples, before investing, iterating, growing, and failing fast.
Overall it was an exciting event and any time we get into a room with bright minds like these it sparks our imaginations, reminding us we’re doing the right things and doing things right. We look forward to the next event where we can show off even more of what Atlas is capable of, as well as learning everything we can from our peers.