We are in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution, that was kickstarted by a combination of emerging technologies, such as machine learning and IoT connected devices, and where 5G connectivity is crucial. In a market reliant on data-intensive machine applications, the higher speeds and low latency of 5G are required for effective use of automatic robots, wearables, and virtual reality (VR) headsets, and shape the future of smart factories.

5G uses higher radio frequencies to achieve speeds up to 1,000 times faster than its predecessor, 4G. This is the reason why 5G will help to establish the Internet of Things (IoT). As in other sectors, IoT and industrial IoT (IIoT) endeavors in manufacturing are made possible by wireless connectivity and the technologies that support it. On the other hand, 5G and AI are mutual enablers. 5G provides the infrastructure and massive amounts of data required for successful AI. While AI, driven by advances in machine learning, provides the ability to make sense of the chaos and complexity of 5G.

On November 17, we had the oportunity to discover  5G solutions that will enable the best performance of IoT and AI in our industry by the following experts TECNALIA, CEIT, InPhoTech, Eurecat, IRIS Technology Solutions and UC3M.

Álex Turpin. Scientific consultant at secpho. Diving Session introduction

 12h10: Íñigo Arizaga | Teams Development Manager at TECNALIA. 5G: a brief introduction to technology

Biography: Iñigo Arizaga is a Telecommunications Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, in 1989. In October of that same year, he began his work as an Associate Researcher and Project Manager at the Telecommunications Technology Center TELETEK. After the merger of TELETEK with the ROBOTIKER Foundation, he worked until 1997 as Senior Researcher and Project Director in the Department of Telecommunications and Electronic Equipment of this center. This year he is now leading the Radiocommunications Group, within the Department of Telecommunication Technologies. Between 2001 and 2010, he is Scientific Director of the Wireless Technologies Unit. At the same time, he is a professor of the Communications Electronics course at the ESIDE Faculty of the University of Deusto, between 2002 and 2005. Between June 2010 and January 2012 he directs the Telecommunications Unit, within the ICT Division of TECNALIA. Since January 2012 he has been the Director of Technology in the ICT Division.

Summary: 5G is expected to be a disruptive technology, not only from the commercial user point of view, thanks to an increased bandwith and data-rate of the communication system, but also in industry, by allowing ultra-connected factories, supply chains, etc.

12h30: Igone Velez | Head of ICT Division at CEIT. Comunicaciones de gran ancho de banda y/o baja latencia: aplicaciones de 5G en la Industria 4.0.

Biography: Igone Velez, ingeniera en Automática y Electrónica Industrial por la Universidad de Navarra en el año 2000, obtuvo en 2005 el grado de doctor por la Universidad de Navarra. Se incorporó en 2000 a CEIT, donde ha colaborado en diversos proyectos de investigación y es actualmente la directora de la división de Tecnologías de la Información y de la Comunicación. Sus principales líneas de investigación son el procesado digital de señal y el diseño e implementación de dispositivos electrónicos y de comunicaciones inalámbricos para Industria 4.0. Igone Velez comparte sus tareas investigadoras con una activa dedicación docente en la Escuela de Ingenieros de la Universidad de Navarra (Tecnun). Actualmente es profesora titular de dicha universidad.

Summary: 5G will be key in future connected industries, with applications ranging from plant monitoring, real-time automation, digital twins of a production plant, precise positioning, and many more.

12h50: Patryk Urban | Business and Technology Development Manager at InphoTech. Multicore Fiber Now Closer to Enter Telecommunications Market than Ever.

Biography: Patryk Urban, PhD, DSc, is Business and Technology Development Manager at InPhoTech responsible for commercialization of innovative technologies for Telecom/Datacom industry. Prior to that he was a Senior Researcher at Ericsson AB, Stockholm, 2010-2018.

Patryk has a PhD in optical access networks from the Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, 2009, and DSc (habilitation) in Telecommunications from the Warsaw University of Technology, Poland, 2017.

He participated/lead many research and development projects inside and outside Europe. He is also a founder and first chairman of IEEE Photonics Sweden Chapter, 2013-2018 and chairman of IEEE Photonics Poland Chapter, 2019. He is an author or coauthor of nearly 100 publications and 50 granted patents and contributions to standardization fora. He was Ericsson delegate to ITU SG15 standardization activity.

He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Telecommunication and Photonics, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Poland.

Summary: Fiber-optic technologies are key ingredients for next-generation communication networks, especially with new paradigms such as multi-core fibers, and they are currently in the process of being standardized.

13h10: Joan Lluis Mas | Director of Digital Technolgoies at Eurecat. Multi-sector applications and services using 5G technologies.

Biography: Ingeniero de Telecomunicaciones (UPC) y MBA (Webster University). Trabajó durante 10 años en el centro de investigación de la Agencia Espacial Europea en Holanda en proyectos de satélites de observación medio-ambiental de la Tierra. Regresa a Cataluña en 2000 a la empresa NTE S.A dedicándose a proyectos de desarrollo de instrumentación biomédica para la Estación Espacial Internacional y sistemas de apoyo a la vida para misiones espaciales tripuladas. Desde 2008 es el Director de la División de Tecnologías Digitales de Eurecat, desde donde impulsa desarrollos, entre otros, en ámbitos como Data Analytics y Big Data, Inteligencia Artificial o Ciberseguridad para aplicaciones multisectoriales como Industria 4.0, Salud, Movilidad, Smartcities, etc.

Summary: 5G is an strategic technology for the near future development of our society, as it is an enabler of other very important technologies, including artificial intelligence, internet of things, and industry 4.0; while it will impact industry in terms of predictive maintenance, safety, and human-machine interaction.

13h30: Matteo Grandi | Project and Innovation Manager at IRIS Technology Solutions. 5G as enabler for advanced monitoring system in the manufacturing and process industries.

Biography: Matteo Grandi is Project and Innovation Manager at IRIS Technology Solutions. Matteo is specialized in advanced wireless communication technologies that he applies to the industrial sector helping the manufactures to embrace the Industry 4.0 paradigm. Matteo actively collaborates with world-known companies, and he represents IRIS in projects focused on 5G, AI, Big Data, and smart ICT solutions.

Summary: Industry will be reshaped by 5G, as it will increase the efficiency of the supply chain, enhance the product quality, maximize productivity, increase flexibility, and improve sustainability.

13h50: Guillermo Carpintero | Full professor at UC3M. TERAWAY: Disruptive photonic technologies for 5G ultrabroadband beam-steered arrays

Biography: Guillermo Carpintero is Full Professor of Electronics Technology at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and co-director of the Group of Optoelectronics and Laser Technology. He is an expert in integrated microwave and mm-wave photonics, where he has led pioneering EU projects, such as iPHOS and, currently, TREAmeasure (https://www.uc3m.es/research/terameasure).

Summary: Photonic integrated circuits, especially in the Terahertz regime, will be enablers of a new generation 5G steered arrays, which will enhance connectivity at targeted locations and improve security.