Orange Polska has launched an Orange 5G Lab at its Warsaw headquarters. The lab is a unique space where the company can discover, experiment, and bring future use cases to life, thanks to 5G network
The Warsaw Orange 5G Lab joins the network of similar facilities that Orange has been consistently launching across Europe. Orange 5G Lab already operates in such countries as Belgium, France and Romania.
5G will be a very significant boost that will enable further development and dynamic digitisation of the Polish economy. We are already actively involved in this process, setting up the first campus networks together with our customers today. Orange 5G Lab is a place where we develop and test solutions using the 5G technology, also in cooperation with startups, and present innovative solutions to business, so that we can launch new services as soon as possible after the frequencies necessary to build 5G in Poland are made available, for which we are still waiting, says Julien Ducarroz, CEO of Orange Polska.
A Dynata survey conducted in January shows that 74% of companies in Poland feel their business will need support from a telecom service provider with developing and testing 5G services and/or applications on a live version of the next generation of 5G networks. This is why Orange launched the Orange 5G Lab program to give to companies the opportunity to discover and experiment all the potential of 5G. Including the newly opened Warsaw Lab, there are 12 such laboratories across Europe.
Orange 5G Lab is divided into several zones. The “Showroom” section presents solutions and services in the field of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), video analytics based on artificial intelligence (AI), real-time monitoring of resources, critical communications such as PTT/PTV (Push to Talk, Push to Video), autonomous mobile robots, and drones. All of them operate in the 3.6 GHz target frequency for 5G, which has been made available for testing by consent of the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE). Data transmission in the network runs at 850 Mbps.
The customer will be able to test, for example, the VR simulation service using VR goggles. Solutions of this type are successful, for instance, in employee training, which, thanks to 5G, instead of real workstations on the production floor can take place in virtual reality. Also available will be a 5G video analytics solutions based on artificial intelligence and using high-resolution cameras installed in the space Orange 5G Lab. These enable, for example, the automation of quality control processes or improving workplace safety.
The presented solutions are already accelerating the digital transformation of companies by automating distribution processes, logistics, or entire production cycles, and by introducing innovative solutions to many areas of our lives. The use of 5G technology makes it possible not only to train employees using virtual reality, but also, for example, to digitally support workstations with augmented reality smart glasses. It also allows for very precise location and monitoring of moving people and objects. This is the future of factories, warehouses and offices of large and medium-sized enterprises.
Apart from the showroom, Orange 5G Lab also features a developer section. Orange partners, especially startups participating in the Orange Fab programme, can create, test and develop innovative services and solutions using 5G, with the support of Orange experts. They can work in a complete ecosystem consisting of, among others, 5G mobile network, Edge Computing solutions, IoT platform and other relevant components, such as communication modules, routers, AR lasses, VR headsets or cameras. Some of products and services developed here can then be showcased in the showroom, making it easier to commercially deploy the solution and reach potential customers.
This type of support has already been used by, for example, CThings, a company offering services of precise location and monitoring of moving people and objects. Such solutions are used, for instance, in large production halls, where they allow for a significant improvement in logistics and security. Other Orange partners present in Orange 5G Lab include Connected VR (VR training and simulations), Nokia (technology partner 5G infrastructure provider), Surveily (video analytics based on artificial intelligence), Augmented Vision (digital manuals) and VR Learning (VR trainings and medical planning using VR).
Concurrently with the launch of Orange 5G Lab, Orange Polska, with the inQUBE University Business Incubator operating at the Wrocław University of Economics and Business and the Wrocław University of Science and Technology is launching a competition and support program for startups that focus on solutions using, implementing or developing the 5G technology. Information about the program and the terms of support are available here.
Recruitment will last until the end of June. The best startups will also be able to join the Orange Fab program and benefit from Orange 5G Lab services.
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