NTT DOCOMO has announced that it has joined the 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation (5G-ACIA) with the aim of further advancing the use of 5G technology in the manufacturing sector.
5G-ACIA is a major global initiative encompassing some fifty companies from diverse industries around the world, including the telecommunication and manufacturing sectors. Participants plan to collaborate in the creation of industrial 5G networks and achieve the reliability and low latency required in factory automation and for manufacturing processes. They are additionally conducting research into the more effective use of public networks and publishing white papers on various aspects of the technology.
DOCOMO has partnered with a variety of enterprises around the world and is conducting various trials of 5G-related technologies. The company is proposing to these partners a new approach to the building of 5G networks, customized to specific use-cases and requirements and addressing the partners’ need for stable, low-latency, instant communication.
“We are delighted to welcome NTT DOCOMO as our 55th member,” said 5G-ACIA Chairman Dr. Andreas Müller of Robert Bosch. “5G for Industrial IoT has gained huge momentum since the establishment of 5G-ACIA in April 2018, and it has the potential to unlock huge economic opportunities in industrial production by enabling unprecedented degrees of flexibility, productivity and usability. By the same token, manufacturing is clearly one of the most attractive new fields of application for 5G.
“Thanks to its deep technical expertise, its strong involvement in standardization and innovation activities plus its large customer base, NTT DOCOMO’s participation in 5G-ACIA is certain to help to ensure that industrial 5G is a major success and to increase 5G-ACIA’s footprint in the Japanese market.”
Dr Hiroshi Nakamura, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, NTT DOCOMO, added: “We are very pleased to have become a member of 5G-ACIA. NTT DOCOMO has been collaborating with many partners in the manufacturing sector to co-create 5G services through activities such as the ‘DOCOMO 5G Open Partner Program’ and ‘DOCOMO 5G Open LabTM’. We are looking forward to collaborating with 5G-ACIA to accelerate the expansion of the 5G global ecosystem in this industry sector.”
Going forward, DOCOMO aims to further develop its 5G technology in conjunction with the 5G-ACIA Alliance, and help its partners build networks optimized for use in factory automation.
