A Geopositioning use case in the form of an interactive map was developed for geopositioning within the Technobothnia laboratories. Initially, the map leveraged the existing geolocation APIs for smartphones and other mobile devices. Plans are underway to expand its capabilities to incorporate upcoming 5G location technologies. Such technologies could for example use the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) or Positional Reference Signal (PRS) available in 5G networks.
The following image demonstrates long-term GPRS-based positioning within the 5G laboratories.
5G signal mapping
A test was conducted in which the cellular signal strength was measured in a radius around the base station. The strength was logged together with local reference points allowing us to plot the result on top of a map of the Technobothnia laboratories.
The color intensities indicates the signal strength in decibel.
UPDATE: The event is now over. Thank you all for attending. Please
SEMINAR INVITE – INDUSTRIAL USE CASES OF 5G
WHEN: TUESDAY 18 APRIL 2023, 12:00 – 15:20 (GMT +3) WHERE: ONLINE VIA ZOOM OR IN-PERSON IN TECHNOBOTHNIA SEMINAR ADDRESS: TECHNOBOTHNIA, PUUVILLAKUJA 3, VAASA – SECOND FLOOR IN ROOM F4209 REGISTER FOR ZOOM LINK
Come listen as a panel of experts go into detail about the industrial use cases of the forthcoming 5G technologies and infrastructure. The seminar covers a wide range of relevant topics, including private 5G networks and industrial applications of 5G.
The event is organized by the 5G Hub Vaasa project partners: Vaasan yliopisto, Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu and Novia university.
Program
Time
Topic
Speaker
12:00
–
12:10
Opening of the seminar
12:10
–
12:40
5G and beyond
Nokia, 6G flagship theme leader Olli Liinamaa
12:40
–
13:00
Private 5G networks: The cornerstone to Business Adaptability in Industry 4.0
Edzcom, CTO Kari Lehtinen
13:00
–
13:20
Open source is enabling innovation in 5G and beyond
OpenAirInterface Software Alliance, Director of operations Irfan Ghauri
13:20
–
13:40
Deploying private 5G with Open Source solutions –
benefits and challenges
Firecell, Co-founder and CEO, Claude Seyrat
13:40
–
14:00
4G/5G from the lab to the field
Amarisoft, Vice President Marouan Benabdellah-Chaouni
14:00
–
14:20
Coffee break
14:20
–
14:40
Nokia veturi program and Industrial metaverse
Nokia, Program
Director Jarkko Pellikka
14:40
–
14:55
Site-to-site communications for messages used in Wide Area
Protection
ABB, Program Manager, Petri Hovila
14:55
–
15:10
Industrial 5G and connectivity use cases
Siemens,
Portfolio Consulting Professional, Teemu Kumpulainen
The 5G HUB Vaasa project team would like to invite you to participate in the 5G workshop in 7th of March 2023 at 10:00 – 12:00. The project team will also participate in the Energy Weeks, where you can come to see our poster and talk with us.
Telecommunications, especially with the advent of 5G and networking, is a gigantic field packed with a vast assortment of technologies and systems working in harmony. Interpreting the raw log data derived from a 5G base station can be a daunting task due to the diversity and complexity of the data. There are numerous types of log data from various aspects of 5G communication, including eNB, IMS, MME (see below) logs, and more.
eNB (Evolved NodeB): In 4G/LTE networks, the eNB refers to a base station that manages mobile devices within its cell(s). It’s responsible for tasks like radio resource management, routing of user data, and transmission of paging messages.
IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem): The IMS is a framework used to deliver IP multimedia services like voice calls, video calls, and messaging. Designed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), it’s a core component of mobile networks, including 4G and 5G.
MME (Mobility Management Entity): Part of the 4G/LTE network, the MME oversees high-level functions like tracking and paging procedures, bearer activation/deactivation, and selection of the network for roaming. It also handles user authentication and security procedures.
To make this data more understandable and accessible, we developed the 5G dashboard. This tool consolidates all these disparate logs into an intuitive visual dashboard. The dashboard provides an interesting and insightful visualization for companies interested in 5G. The tool was specially designed to break down key facts about 5G telecommunications into bite-sized, easy-to-understand visuals to help bridge knowledge gap and give users a quick overview over the 5G network, and to provide a swift scan over the most significant factors shaping 5G communication.
5G dashboard running in a web browser’s Kiosk mode
The 5G dashboard has been designed to function alongside the Amarisoft Callbox base station. Employing a modular approach within its source code, it allows for future inclusion of additional base stations.
Device Metrics companion app
A companion app has been developed to work in tandem with the 5G dashboard. It offers mobile-accessible 5G statistics and supports GNSS tracking within the 5G dashboard for connected devices.
The device metrics interface is a streamlined version of the 5G dashboard, showcasing only the 5G metrics relevant to the current User Equipment.
Development process
The development of the dashboard was split into two parts, each requiring a different programming language:
Python server
The Python web server serves as a simple bootstrap mechanism to launch the application within the local web browser. In the past, this component may not have been necessary. However, due to recent security enhancements, websites can no longer function exclusively within the local filesystem.
We designed the Python server to be self-sufficient, without the need for third-party dependencies. The Python 3 standard library provides all the necessary tools to create a basic web server.
HTML5 and Javascript
The dashboard client operates entirely within a web browser, making it an HTML5 application. These applications, typically written in the Javascript programming language, differ from native applications. Despite being an old language that originated in 1995, JavaScript has undergone numerous updates over the years. Today Javascript is one of the most widely used programming languages in the world and powers most of the modern web.
Adopting a class-based OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) paradigm, we divided the 5G dashboard client into several self-contained modules or classes. Overall, the dashboard is written in a programming language that is both widely used and understood, thereby facilitating easier updates and maintenance in the future.
We used Chart.js, a third-party library, to display the charts on our dashboard. Javascript is recognized for its extensive software ecosystem, one of the largest globally, which facilitates the development of complex applications.
Geany is a fast and powerful text editor with syntax highlighting
5G is the fifth generation of mobile network standard, proceeding the 4G standard. 5G promises to deliver lower latency, higher reliability, faster data speeds and a significantly larger number of connected devices/high connection density.
5G was initially associated with the IMT-2020 standard as released by The International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The standard defines a set of key technical minimum performance requirements.
5G is a complex topic as the standard includes a large number of different ideas and technologies. At a higher level 5G can be summarized by the popular 5G Triangle from the M.2083 Recommendation by ITU. The triangle shows the three main characteristics of 5G as the corners, with different uses inside the triangle.
The three primary characteristics of 5G are:
Enhanced Mobile Broadband: Faster data transmission speeds,
Massive Machine-Type Communications: Support for a large number of connected devices
Ultra-reliable and Low Latency: Low latency and ultra-reliability for mission critical applications
5G HUB Vaasa team will participate in the Energy Weeks. You can come to see our poster and talk with us. We will be at
the Research exhibition, the 22th of March at 9:00 – 12:00 or
the Science fair, the 22 of March at 15:00 – 18:00 in the University of Vaasa
We also participate in the laboratory tour during the energy week. At the 22th of March you can visit the 5G HUB Vaasa 5G laboratory to see some demonstrations and talk with us according to the following laboratory tour time schedule:
19:15 – 20:15 VEBIC Engine and Fuel laboratories
17:30 – 18:30 VME Lab
16:00 – 17:00 3D Metal Printing Lab
16:30 – 17:30 Space Data Lab / 5G HUB Vaasa
18:00 – 19:00 FREESI Lab
The 5G research laboratory in Technobothnia is able to provide 5G-related services to regional companies and other interested parties. These services include but are not limited to:
providing an infrastructure to test applications inside a real 5G network
the capacity to support research & development of 5G-dependant applications in both simulated and real environments
providing an environment for education related to 5G
support from skillful personnel from three collaborating partners
The 5G laboratory was established on the Technobothnia premises as part of the 5G Hub Vaasa project. The laboratory is equipped with hardware and software for testing 5G communication with user equipment. The laboratory personnel has access to the more specialized lab equipment as part of the Technobothnia laboratories.
Laboratory equipment
AMARI Callbox Classic
Amarisoft’s Callbox Classic is a 5G base station with support for 5G NSA/SA, LTE LTE-M and NB-IoT connections.
Callbox Classic can be configured to manage multiple cells of different types, such as 4G/LTE + 5G.
The Callbox interface provides live metrics useful when measuring signal quality, maximum equipment bandwidth, antenna interference and more.
Callbox Classic
Edge Server
A powerful edge server is directly connected to the 5G base station to provide low-latency data processing capabilities for equipment connected via 4G/5G.
Some example use cases of the edge server are:
Machine learning and AI models at the Edge
Virtual- and Augmented Reality streaming
Edge Server
Microprocessors
The 5G laboratory is equipped with a number of Raspberry Pi microprocessors with associated 5G HATs (Hardware Attached on Top).
Raspberry Pi with 5G HAT
5G modules
The 5G laboratory has multiple and various models of 5G modules for testing user equipment. These modules are generally in the M.2 form factor and is compatible with the adapters available in the lab.
Stand-alone 5G module (M.2 form factor)USB Dongle with 5G module installed
SIM cards
Pre-programmed testing SIM cards are available for use with the 5G base station.
Consumer smartphones
The laboratory is equipped with several standard consumer smartphones for testing purposes. Among these are the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy Android phones.
Smartphones
5G camera
A 5G-compatible security camera is installed in the laboratory for testing purposes.
5G camera
Partner laboratories
The 5G laboratory has access to other general and specialized equipment as part of the Techobothnia laboratories.
For information about the software available in the 5G Hub Vaasa laboratories, see the Software page.
The 5G HUB Vaasa research project is a joint collaboration between three universities: Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (VAMK), University of Vaasa & Novia University of Applied Sciences. The objective of the project is to develop, pilot and test 5G technologies for industrial use, and to produce results based on actual industrial use cases.
Through a separate investment a new 5G test laboratory will be established. The test laboratory is situated in the Technobothnia research laboratory in Vaasa. See the 5G Laboratory page for more information.
Project objectives:
To establish a 5G/6G test laboratory to strengthen digitization research and product development in the region.
To communicate and experiment with local operators to investigate a selection of use cases with the resources available in the test laboratory.
To strengthen the R&D infrastructure and development environment of digital solutions and smart systems that serve as focus areas for smart specialization in Ostrobothnia.
To develop 5G/6G know-how, and support companies and business networks with new business opportunities in identification and development work in Ostrobothnia.
To increase the networking of universities and colleges in the region with national research infrastructures, and support the application of competitive R&D funding from national and international sources.
