Opening 5G Field Lab offers a look into the future

Earlier this year, T-Mobile and the municipality of The Hague announced that they would be launching joint pilot projects with 5G technology. The Field Lab is the first of three research sites in the city to open. Soon also Living Lan Scheveningen and the research site at The Hague Tech will follow. The research sites play an important role in the collaboration between T-Mobile and the municipality of The Hague, which is aimed at providing The Hague, as the first city in the Netherlands, with a 5G full coverage network in 2020.

Look into the future

The 5G Field Lab provides a look into the future. Several of T-Mobile's partners showcased various possibilities that 5G has to offer:

Veilige buurt [Safe neighborhood]. This community app shows all 5G connected fire alarms. The moment a fire alarm goes off at the home of someone with - for instance - mobility problems, the entire neighborhood is notified so that they can come to the aid of their neighbors. In Dordrecht the initial test results were positive.

VRiendje. This is a social virtual reality platform that connects people, from separate locations. Using VR live streaming technology and 5G, it connects classmates, colleagues and family members, even when they are not physically able to do so.

Crossyn. This start-up is not working on future self-driving car with technology that does not yet exist, they ensure that all seven million existing cars in the Netherlands get smarter, based on connection. With a 5G connection they measure road quality, road safety and car data. And also give tips on how to drive more economically.

Spacetime Layers. In Spacetime Layers, all available location and time-bound information is collected in different map layers. This makes it possible for the app to ‘transfer’ people to the same place, in different times, for example a hundred years back in time. And give them an explanation in augmented reality of what that place looked like back then. It can take people on a virtual tour along all the sights in a city. Sights that are there now, will be there in the future or were there in the past.
 
In September, the first students of Creative Design at Inholland University of Applied Sciences started the Creative Agency and Creative Concepts course which explores the possibilities of 5G.

The advantages of 5G

Soren Abildgaard, CEO T-Mobile Netherlands: "5G connectivity makes it possible to connect even more devices to a network simultaneously. On top of that, 5G connections provide more capacity, making it even more reliable than 4G. A 5G connection in The Hague contributes to the municipality's innovation in the field of safety, mobility and the use of public space. You can see the 5G research sites as a testing ground where you can test what is possible in the future."
 
Deputy Mayor Saskia Bruines of The Hague:  "The upcoming 5G network offers The Hague social and economic opportunities. In the Field Lab at T-Mobile, innovative ideas with 5G can be tested at an early stage. In this, we pay particular attention to social issues such as privacy and health. We have agreed with T-Mobile that the immediate environment will be kept properly informed about any tests."