Telecom operator Orange Belgium is opening up a 5G Standalone network at the port of Antwerp to allow enterprises to explore the possibilities of the technology, particularly for industrial applications. Orange Belgium said that it has already demonstrated an actual data connection in the network, with download speeds up to 1.42 Gbps, uplink speeds of up to 329 Mbps and seven millisecond-latency end-to-end.
ZTE is the carrier’s partner on the 5G network, which Orange Belgium said will be the first 5G stand-alone architecture network in Belgium for industrial partners, adding that because the network is SA 5G rather than Non-Standalone, it will include support for network slicing, very low latency and massive internet of things.
Orange Belgium said that the port of Antwerp is initially served by seven 5G sites, and that by the end of April 2020, 14 sites will be turned up across the area of the port, which covers around 150 square kilometers. The area, the operator said, “is a great nest for such experimentations, as it welcomes several large industrial players that could benefit from the industrial applications of 5G. For now, the Flanders region is the only region allowing such testing due to the environmental regulation even if further improvements are needed. To roll-out 5G nationwide, an updated regulation is mandatory.”
In other test news:
–Dekra says that despite weak economics in some countries where it operates, the company is “on track” and “concentrating on the digital world of the future,” DEKRA CEO Stefan Kölbl put it. Dekra said its revenues were up by about 3% in 2019, and that its international test network is also “focusing on intelligent solutions for automated and connected driving,” as well as cybersecurity and a number of other, related areas.
–Keysight Technologies said that test solutions from its Ixia Solutions Group were used to demonstrate multi-vendor interoperability in Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) during a recent TSN plugest at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. Keysight’s IxNetwork TSN solution was used along with the IIC TSN Testbed, for testing of functionality, interoperability and conformance tests with standards being developed by IEEE 802.1 for TSN. Keysight said that industrial devices from participating IIC members were used in the testing.
In other Keysight news, two members of its board of directors, Jean Halloran and Joanne Olsen, were recognized by Women Inc. for their leadership and named on the publication’s 2019 list of most influential corporate directors.
-The German Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (DIHK) annual award for top trainees in Germany has gone to an employee who is now at Rohde & Schwarz: Martin Niedermeier was honored with the award for top electronics technician trainee for information and systems technology in 2019. R&S noted that more than 300,000 trainees in a number of fields take their final exams at DIHK each year, and the top 200 or so are recognized. Niedermeier had the maximum score of 100 points, and has since taken a job with Rohde & Schwarz.
–Anritsu said that its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 has been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative, which focuses on achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate. Anritsu said that as part of its efforts, the company’s head office in Atsugi City, Kanagawa, Japan, will install an additional 50 kW of solar power generation, and Anritsu Company in California will install 1,100 kW of solar power generation in fiscal year 2019.
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