SA chosen as home of National 5G Industrial Incubation Lab

A new national 5G Industrial Incubation Lab will be based in South Australia, following a partnership between Nokia and the state government. The Lab will receive federal government funding as part of the $20 million Job Maker Digital Business initiative. The National 5G Industrial Incubation Lab will drive job growth in 5G services and 5G-enabled industries across three areas, covering:

• increasing rail passenger safety via camera and scene analytics using big data
• airport situational awareness for securing public safety using video cameras
• energy management in a power network via 5G connectivity.
   

These 5G scenarios will be supported by Adelaide Airport, the South Australian Power Network and the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, and include the expertise of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML). 5G wireless technology can be used to connect mobile robots, machines, sensors, computers and people, creating opportunities for automation on a scale that, up until now, has not been possible. As such, 5G-enabled networks will be essential for the automation of physical industries, leading to productivity gains.

Premier Steven Marshall said the Lab will support South Australia’s economic growth by providing industrial 5G applications to innovative companies, in turn, creating jobs of the future. Premier Marshall added that the Lab positions South Australia as a communications innovation hub for the nation and the entire Oceania region.

“It is critical that local industries are involved in shaping the Lab, taking advantage of this globally significant collaboration to lead a technological transformation by building new products and services that will drive Gross State Product growth as well as contribute to Gross Domestic Product growth,” Premier Marshall said.

The Lab will support the stimulation of economic growth by delivering new jobs and opportunities in South Australia across key growth sectors such as hi-tech, energy and transport, thereby establishing South Australia as the best place to foster local and national growth. Stephen Patterson, Minister for Trade and Investment, said investing in the National 5G Industrial Incubation Lab will create a virtuous cycle of economic growth. Minister Patterson noted that establishing the Lab with Nokia will further enhance South Australia’s strong manufacturing, AI and automation capabilities, providing opportunities for local industry and enabling it to be globally competitive.

“Alongside the MIT big data Living Lab and AIML, the Australian Cyber Collaboration Lab (A3C), the Australian Space Agency, the submarine and Future Frigate programs, South Australia is rapidly increasing its hi-tech capability which creates the perfect ecosystem to support a 5G Lab,” Minister Patterson said.

The bid was supported by AIML, MIT bigdata Living Lab, Adelaide Airport Limited, Sage Automation, SA Power Networks, the South Australian Government and Bell Labs Consulting. Anna Wills, Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand at Nokia, said establishing the Lab in South Australia is an important step forward to harnessing the power of 5G for all Australian industries. “5G has the potential to improve safety, productivity and efficiency across a range of industries, and together with our partners in Bell Labs Consulting, we’re excited to see what can be achieved first with use cases for the rail, airports and energy sectors and then further afield,” Wills said.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/ymgerman