5G helps visualise new energy network in Scotland

5G helps visualise new energy network in Scotland

Above shows the Heriot-Watt University’s GRID facility.

Residents on Scotland’s Orkney islands will be able to see and interact with a replica of a new energy network thanks to a 5G-powered digital twinning system. The project leverages 5G technology to show how the energy network works and aims to get members of the public and businesses to participate in the delivery of the new network.

The project creates a virtual 3D environment that shows Orkney and all the different components of the energy system, such as electric vehicles, domestic batteries, generators and turbines. It’s an immersive simulator that people can interact with and see models of the network’s key assets on the island, connected via a live 5G data connection. The demo will be available initially for three months.

The effort is led by Heriot-Watt University’s GRID facility with support from the Scotland 5G Centre, which was launched at the end of last year to coordinate the Scottish government’s 5G strategy. Gordon Ross, Innovation Strategist at Heriot-Watt University, said: “The future of energy is going to be defined by smart, distributed networks and micro-grids. For that to work to its maximum potential we need everyone to understand how it works and how they can get involved in making Orkney a ‘smart energy island’. The island is the ideal testing ground for principles that could be applied on a larger scale elsewhere.”

5G powers smart energy Research from Deloitte, commissioned by the Scottish Futures Trust, shows that commercialising 5G use cases could add £17 billion to Scottish GDP by 2035. The economic impact of 5G includes adding 160,000 jobs, 3,000 new businesses, £5.7 billion in tax revenues and £3.3 billion more in exports, according to the research. 

Energy is one of the sectors cited in the Deloitte report that stands to benefit from 5G technology. Reliable, low-latency wireless technology enables smart energy grids, which can better integrate renewable energy sources and monitor supply and demand in real time for higher efficiency. Derek Boyd, interim director at the Scotland 5G Centre, said: “5G will be an integral part of enabling the smart energy systems of the future, delivering the ultra-reliable, low-latency connectivity that is required to manage these networks. We are working with organisations across Scotland to demonstrate its transformative potential. While the benefits of 5G are still to be understood for many people, this digital twinning project will go a significant way towards showcasing its potential and the positive impact the next generation of connectivity can have for society and the economy.”

5G on Orkney Orkney is a site for one of the U.K.’s 5G testbeds and the digital twinning project is the latest 5G trial on the islands.

• Useful read: What are the 5G testbeds?

The project follows the 5G RuralFirst program. The Scotland 5G Rural Testbed, which is led by the University of Strathclyde and Cisco, provides a 5G test network on Orkney that has been used to trial 5G rural broadband access as well as broadcasting on the islands.

Michelle Donegan-5g.co.uk

Cradlepoint Delivers Edge Router Ideally Suited for Secure, Rapidly Deployable Networks

Part of Cradlepoint NetCloud, E300 Series LTE Router Provides Speed and Security for Pop-Up Clinics and At-Home, Elections, and Emergency Response Networks

Cradlepoint, the global leader in cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge solutions, today announced the first next-generation edge router for Wireless WAN use cases. The Cradlepoint E300 Series Enterprise Router supports the increased performance and advanced LTE, Wi-Fi, security, and management requirements of high-traffic pop-up sites, including quarantine centers, small clinics, and treatment facilities constructed in response to COVID-19. Additionally, the new E300 Series is ideal for distributed voting sites, as well as the Wireless WAN connectivity for enterprise branch sites. 

Like all Cradlepoint branch, mobile, and IoT endpoints, the new E300 series is fully provisioned, controlled, and managed by the Cradlepoint NetCloud Service. The first of the next generation of wireless edge routers by Cradlepoint, the E300 Series utilizes the latest system-on-chip technology to deliver exceptional price/performance for advanced Wi-Fi, internet security, and SD-WAN functionality over Gigabit-Class wired and cellular broadband networks. The E300 Series can also support dual Gigabit-Class LTE modems and is 5G Ready so that it can act as a controller for Cradlepoint’s 5G Wideband Adapter, announced in February. 

For healthcare, public safety, education, and other organizations at the center of the COVID-19 crisis, providing an emergency network response for frontline workers is job one. The E300 Series is ideally suited for rapidly deployable and secure pop-up networks that support high-traffic environments, such as:

• Large footprint pop-up sites: As the healthcare response moves from testing to treatment, larger footprint pop-up sites such as tents, convention centers, and other temporary spaces are required. These sites house many healthcare works and connected equipment; require patient Wi-Fi access for virtual family visits; and have greater availability, security, and compliance requirements. Similarly, in response to the pandemic, more polling sites will be required to facilitate social distancing and require nonstop availability and advanced network security for remote access of poll books.  

• Telehealth: Many healthcare organizations are turning to telehealth to tap into retired doctors and those from other hospitals less impacted by the coronavirus surge. These remote doctors need reliable and secure at-home and remote office connectivity that isolates them from other local networks and provides ample cellular bandwidth to support video and large files, such as chest X-rays. 

• Mission-critical work from home: Many municipal workers and executives are required to work from home and need mission-critical connectivity that isolates work traffic from at-home networks and supports enterprise security requirements, such as VPN, firewall, and IDS/IPS.

To meet the needs of these critical use cases, the NetCloud-powered E300 Series supports Gigabit-Class LTE to ensure the fastest possible cellular connection; dual LTE modems with wireless SD-WAN functionality for link redundancy and traffic load balancing; and unified edge security with VPN, firewall, IPS/IDS and internet content filtering. 

“We are thankful that our wireless network solutions are playing a role in a wide range of COVID-19 emergency pop-up sites for healthcare, public safety, and other frontline responder use cases,” said Todd Krautkremer, Chief Marketing Officer at Cradlepoint. “As the response moves from testing to treatment, more powerful pop-up and remote access networks will be required to support higher-traffic volumes, patient internet access, enterprise-class security, and nonstop availability. The new E300 Series, part of our NetCloud Service, is ideally suited to address these heightened requirements with the rapid, zero-touch deployment and centralized management that IT teams need today.” 

The Cradlepoint NetCloud Service for Enterprise Branch with the new E300 Series Router is available today, please contact Cloud-Star for pricing and more information. To support the current COVID-19 emergency network response, Cradlepoint ships directly to the customer’s end location within 24 hours; each router is preregistered within NetCloud Manager and with a cellular SIM included for instant activation and installation upon arrival.

For more information on Cradlepoint’s COVID-19 emergency network use cases, and to learn how your organization can take advantage of secure and rapidly deployable pop-up and work-from-home networks today, please call Cloud-Star on: +44 (0) 1423 340066 or e-mail sales@cloud-star.co.uk.

Traffic problems to propel growth of intelligent transport system market

The increase in traffic congestion, together with the rise in the number of road accidents, is expected to drive the growth of the ITS market between now and 2024.

The North American region led the intelligent transport system market in 2019 The intelligent transport system (ITS) market is forecast to grow by $32.47 billion between 2020 and 2024, due to increased traffic congestion and road accidents, a new study finds. The predicted growth of smart cities during the forecast period is expected to have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly. Intensified congestion According to Technavio, growing urbanisation and the ever-rising use of cars, resulting from the rising middle-class population, are intensifying traffic congestion. These factors are far more prevalent in developing countries, and, as a result, government organisations are seeking to implement ITS solutions such as congestion charging, road user charging and electronic toll collection to control traffic. The market research report highlights the Indonesian government, which has partnered with Kapsch TrafficCom and Q-Free to provide tolling equipment to its road transportation sector. “Factors such as the growing popularity of smart factories, and the growing use of data centre management will have a positive impact on the growth of the intelligent transport system market.” Digital technologies include ITS solutions such as traffic control and safe and intelligent transportation. The use of such technologies will help to analyse and efficiently utilise resources. It will also improve transportation facilities leading to faster connectivity. “Factors such as the growing popularity of smart factories and the growing use of data centre management will have a positive impact on the growth of the intelligent transport system market during the forecast period,” the report states. The market research report segments the ITS market by application (traffic management, toll management, automotive and infotainment telematics, public transport and others), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa (MEA)). The North American region led the ITS market in 2019, followed by Europe, APAC, South America and MEA. During the forecast period, the North American region is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to factors such as the increased adoption of ITS solutions by end-user industries, the shift from conventional transportation systems to intelligent transportation systems, growth in end-user industries, and government initiatives for the implementation of ITS solutions. Technavio is a global technology research and advisory company which focuses on emerging market trends.

Source: Sue Weeks-Smart Cities World