DIH5G (Digital Innovation Hub 5G) - a consortium associating the National Institute of Telecommunications - National Research Institute (leader), Lodz University of Technology, Ericsson and Fundingbox announced the launch of a 5G research network at the Lodz Technology University. The project was made possible by the initiative and resources of the Ministry of Development.

• DIH5G is an ecosystem which connects suppliers and customers of 5G technologies and ensures mediation between customer companies, technology suppliers and R&D centres.
• Soon, DIH 5G will provide SMEs with access to dedicated infrastructure for testing and validating solutions using 5G technology.

DIH5G is the first hub that is being created in Poland as a project which fits the idea of European networks of digital innovation hubs. At the same time, it is an example of a much needed, successful cooperation between administration, science, and business. The experience of the pandemic has clearly shown that a successful entry into the field of new technologies and the ability to creatively utilise them in business models determines the fate of companies. And 5G technology allows to expand the horizon of operational potential. It allows for a steep increase in the speed of data transmission through the mobile network. Applying the solution provides an opportunity for many innovative solutions related, among others, to the creation of intelligent cities and buildings, or in completely new areas which are waiting to be discovered. That is why it is extremely pleasing that all potential beneficiaries of this solution - entrepreneurs on the verge of reaching for digital innovations, experienced providers of such services, as well as scientists and students will be able to integrate and cooperate due to the DIH5G - stresses the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Development Jadwiga Emilewicz.     

One of the companies which participated in the DIH5G development process is Ericsson.  The company provided a radio access network (RAN) operating in 4G and 5G technologies. The RAN network operates at 700MHz (4G) and 3.5GHz (5G) frequencies and consists of four roof installations built on the campus of the Lodz University of Technology. In the upcoming months, the fifth ZeroSite base station, a streetlamp with an integrated LTE transmitter, will be integrated into the network. The core network software was also implemented along with the Ericsson management system.  The DIH5G will include a social network to be built by Fundingbox. It will provide access to funding opportunities and consultancy services for businesses.

In subsequent stages, the project, assumes the development and testing of e-health solutions by the Lodz University of Technology as well as drones and security by the National Institute of Telecommunications. In the future, the DIH 5G infrastructure will be available for entrepreneurs, public administration, and students at the Lodz University of Technology to test the capabilities of the 5G technology and its applications.

The potential for economic and social development of the 5G technology will be tested and utilised within the Digital Innovation Hub. It creates a great opportunity for the competitiveness of the solutions of Polish companies which may enter on the market along with the dissemination of 5G technology. A technology company such as Ericsson is greatly satisfied to be able to share the solutions developed in their laboratories and to enter the research and commercial market - said Martin Mellor, the head of Ericsson in Poland.

The Lodz University of Technology is a community of approximately twenty thousand students and employees who work in the campus, which includes diverse buildings and a park area. It is a great model of a small town with a developed infrastructure. Therefore, locating a 5G pilot network on the University campus will allow, for instance, to test solutions like Smart Campus and Smart City. The pilot network will serve researchers, students, and entrepreneurs in the common space, allowing its creative and synergic use for the development of 5G systems and their applications in Industry 4.0. This process will also be fostered by cooperation with scientists representing 12 scientific disciplines developed at the University - said the Rector of the Lodz University of Technology - Professor Sławomir Wiak. 

We believe that the testbed that was just launched is a particularly important step towards the development and implementation of the 5G network in Poland. It will allow to synchronise the efforts of different actors in the development of 5G. The testbed will enable testing weighting solutions for public administration (e.g. solutions in the area of cybersecurity, closely related to the new 5G cybersecurity regulation in Poland), as well as for SMEs, which will be able to install and test their applications. However, due to the fact that the testbed is situated at the Technical University of Lodz, a cooperation channel between science and industry will be opened. It is extremely important for our Institute to share knowledge on new technologies and thus serve the development of ICT in Poland - said dr eng. Jerzy Żurek, the Director of the National Institute of Telecommunications - State Research Institute.

Entrepreneurs, especially SMEs, lack access to a test infrastructure allowing them to familiarise themselves with digital technology processes and use the knowledge to create new products and services. The Polish Hubs of Digital Innovation established in cooperation with the Ministry of Development provides an opportunity for such companies. DIH5G, as a one-stop-shop, will support 5G technology experiments while providing business support, funding opportunities and networking in Europe's largest DIH ecosystem - said Tomasz Mazuryk, CEO of Fundingbox Accelerator Sp. z o.o.