5G network

€24 million 5G project call to roll out new applications in Belgium

Article
Benjamin Denayer
Bas Rottier
Jean-François Delaigle
The cabinet of minister Petra De Sutter recently launched a call for projects involving the rollout of 5G in Belgium. The idea is to look for projects that could identify best practices. Companies can submit a project together with a knowledge centre and a telecom operator to find out where 5G can be put to good use.

In addition to public applications in mobility, hospitals and emergency services, many industrial applications could also benefit from 5G technology. 5G can transmit ten times more data per second than 4G and has up to ten times shorter response times than 4G. Additionally, it can make up to 1 million connections per square kilometre, which is more than enough in an industrial context. The network has better coverage and is more stable. Low latency, in combination with a more stable connection, opens up opportunities for critical situation monitoring with 5G.  Bedsides, 5G uses ten times less energy than 4G, which can make a significant difference in battery-powered applications such as drones, AGVs ...

Responding to today's industrial needs

Do you have large data volumes that need to be transferred and/or do you want real-time analyses without heavy investments expensive network infrastructure? Examples include mobile workstations at construction sites, ports or in agricultural applications. Or do you support your operators and technicians with real-time information or virtual images, which they need to take to customers in the field, or at a large business estate ... which means you cannot invest in an expensive extensive network? This is where 5G can provide support to make this happen at a relatively low cost. Similarly, if you occasionally need to monitor a particular installation on a larger shop floor without being able to wire it, 5G can also provide solutions. In addition, we also have IoT applications in mind.

One of the most common applications is the live streaming of images and data recorded by a drone, AGV, AMR or other vehicle in the air, on the road or track. These can help inspect or monitor large infrastructures. And let’s not forget public applications, where data is collected over a large area, e.g. to monitor traffic situations or for the development of smart cities and autonomous vehicles.

As you can see, 5G can provide a solution for numerous applications!

Concretely, €24 million has been made available for this call, with projects starting in Q1 of 2023. Do you want to test an idea or application? Then feel free to contact us and we will look into it together!

Sirris can offer you a concrete support in setting up a proof-of-concept for both products and production infrastructure. In addition, we can also discuss how to deal with these large amounts of data, data processing, cybersecurity and making your product or production smart. Checking out alternatives may also be an important aspect.

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