2024’s Global Mobile (GLOMO) Awards will feature a new honour – the GSMA Foundry Innovation Award. The Foundry Innovation Award recognises a GSMA Foundry project that has been especially effective in collaborative excellence, delivery time, challenge resolution or impact. The Foundry itself is an industry hub designed to connect stakeholders and accelerate connected projects – the newly created award underscores the industry’s belief that a cooperative ecosystem will quicken innovation. On 5 February, the GSMA confirmed the shortlist for the award on Mobile World Live Unwrapped:
- Ericsson for Project ‘UAV commercial network field test’
This network performance monitoring and engineering study is designed to assess how 5G NSA/SA and LTE networks can support various UAV applications. Drone performance and KPIs were evaluated on existing network infrastructure at various altitudes and conditions. More than 65 drone flights were conducted, covering over 16 hours of total flying time, over a two-week period in a variety of geographies. The results are intended to demonstrate the scalability and applicability of networks to common commercial scenarios. Through the Ericsson Device Analytics (EDA) platform, data can be best visualised. This multifaceted solution comprises a front-end client on the drone, and a sophisticated back-end visual UI.
- Sony for ‘NTN using Murata’s 1SC module and Skylo’s network’
Skylo Technologies, Murata, and Sony Altair have collaboratively unveiled an innovative NB-IoT solution for non-terrestrial networks (NTN). These are increasingly relied upon for connectivity, particularly in rural areas and for real-time tracking across expansive regions. This solution enables low-power devices to effortlessly transition between NTN and cellular connectivity, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional satellite options. Now commercially available, this product is already used in a variety of sectors including logistics, agriculture, and extreme sports.
- Unmanned Life, Liberty Global, and Amazon Web Services for ‘Drone orchestration with 5G and edge compute in the port of Antwerp’
This advanced drone-based system uses the power of 5G connectivity, edge computing, and AI to facilitate quicker and more adaptable surveillance – but also promises cost reductions. The system has the capability to autonomously detect any unauthorised entries at a monitored site and uses network slicing to support high-quality connections for multiple drones throughout their flights. Test results reveal that the system achieves an application-level latency of 20-50 milliseconds between the edge and the drone. The system has already generated interest from various sectors in the UK, Netherlands, and Belgium, including ports, power and utilities, and construction. This early interest signals its potential for widespread adoption.
- Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation (WISCO), China Unicom, and ZTE for ‘5G fully connected smart steel factory’
Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation (WISCO) has found a solution to a common industry challenge – recruiting employees to work in industrial environments with hot and challenging conditions. To that end, WISCO has deployed a dual-frequency, dual-layer 5G network to dramatically improve efficiency and safety at its vast industrial campus in Wuhan, China. Supplied by ZTE and China Unicom, the 5G network uses both the 2.1 GHz and 3.5 GHz frequency bands to provide two independent communications paths to cameras and PLC (programmable logic controller) systems. These feature on the site’s unmanned cranes, vehicles, locomotives, wagons, and containers, which are used to transport iron ore over a distance of 10 km within the complex, spanning 47 square kilometres.
- ZTE for RAN Composer, reallocating radio capacity in real-time
ZTE has developed an AI capable of intelligently allocating 5G radio capacity in real-time. ‘RAN Composer’ uses intelligent traffic pattern analysis and learning to help orchestrate network resources on the fly. It performs real-time analyses of each frequency layer in each cell of the network; the capabilities of the local network; and the connected devices in the cell. This helps 5G fulfil its unique role as a technology that supports a very wide variety of business and consumer use cases and applications, ensuring resources are allocated as efficiently as possible.
The award ceremony, now in its 29th year, will be held on Wednesday 28 February from 17:30 to 18:30 at the MWC Debate Stage, Hall 6. The GSMA Foundry Innovation Award is one of six awards in the Mobile Tech category. Anyone wishing to attend the event can register here.