State Secretary Philipp: "Ministry’s new programme promotes innovative solutions for 5G campus networks"

The technology programme entitled "Campus networks based on 5G communication technologies (5G campus networks)" was launched at the beginning of 2022. The aim of the programme is to develop and test innovative solutions for private 5G networks ("campus networks").

State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Udo Philipp said: "As regards the private use of 5G frequencies and the promotion of campus networks, Germany is one of the pioneers at international level. Efficient 5G networks will make factories of the future, for instance, more flexible when it comes to installing and operating machines and facilities compared with wired solutions. Operating 5G networks of their own can strengthen companies’ digital sovereignty as they retain control over data and processes. In addition, the programme provides opportunities for small network suppliers and startups to develop the new market segment of campus networks and thus important prospects for the German and European suppliers’ markets."

The lead project CampusOS headed by the Heinrich-Hertz and FOKUS Fraunhofer Institutes is the first project to be launched in the context of the new funding priority at the beginning of the year. The aim is to establish a modular ecosystem and a technology toolbox for 5G campus networks on the basis of open wireless technologies and interoperable network components and to evaluate the interoperability and efficiency of planned 5G campus networks using selected scenarios in an industrial context. A total of 22 partners from industry and research are working together in the context of the CampusOS cooperation.

The technology programme is complemented by six satellite projects with the aim to develop further sector-specific solutions for 5G campus networks in the fields of application of smart hospitals, disaster management and fire services, industry, logistics, robotics, shipyards and shipbuilding. The CampusOS project plays a coordinating role validating the viability of the CampusOS concepts (reference architecture, component catalogues, operator models) on the basis of these projects. An additional 31 partners are participating in the satellite projects, which were selected in the context of a technology competition and will start from April 2022. 

The funding for the new technology programme totals around €33 million,  with a term of 36 months for the individual projects. For more information about the programme, the individual projects and the participating partners, please visit the website of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) at www.digitale-technologien.de.