Vigo, October 21, 2021.- Telefónica, in collaboration with Securitas Seguridad España, Alisys, ZTE, Universidade de Vigo and Cisco, has deployed and implemented the first European private 5G Stand Alone network with network capabilities end-to-end slicing for the surveillance industry.
In this use case, the Boston Dynamics Spot robot connects to the 5G network to complement the tasks of physical surveillance of the University of Vigo campus. To this end, a specific slice (virtual network) dedicated to critical services such as campus security has been deployed, guaranteeing the ultra-low latency and high bandwidth necessary for remote control of the Spot robot, which is connected by to a 5G SA network with slicing capacity for the first time, to carry out this type of task.
The network slicing technology applied to the network deployed at the University of Vigo makes it possible to have a state-of-the-art 5G SA network that is flexible and scalable enough to guarantee adequate network resources at the time they are needed, adapting in this way to the needs of users.
This flexibility allows the creation of specific and adapted virtual networks (slices) for each type of traffic carried by the 5G network, on a common physical infrastructure, also being able to combine different slices to guarantee all communications on the same network, even in extreme conditions. of saturation.
Specifically, two possible scenarios have been considered in the field of surveillance of a facility in collaboration with Securitas. In one of them, the Spot robot is controlled remotely by means of a teleoperation platform from a control center deployed for the use case, it accompanies the guard on his regular rounds in a way that complements and expands his physical perceptual abilities (vision thermal, zoom or 360º vision). In the other scenario, the robot performs a preliminary inspection in environments with a potential risk to the physical integrity of the security guard.
Both scenarios rely on the previously mentioned network capabilities to send flows of images and information in real time so that the necessary measures are taken from the checkpoint to provide a service of these characteristics.
This is a co-innovation project that lays the foundations for the 5G functionalities that will be available in the commercial network in the medium term. Cisco has been the provider of the core of the 5G SA network and of the software that facilitates the virtualization, orchestration and automation of services, also providing the computing resources (servers) and transport (switches), while ZTE has provided its commercial solutions of 5G SA radio and Smartphones that allow access, differentiation and multiplexing of clients in the different logical networks created. All this with native slicing capabilities, creating the first interoperability between the radio and the network core from two different manufacturers including end to end slicing solutions.
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For its part, Alisys, as a partner of Boston Dynamics in Spain, has been the provider of the Spot robot, as well as the software platform that allows the teleoperation of the quadruped device, which captures a thermographic image of the environment, and a 360º image to transfer it in real time to the checkpoint providing immediate information of the environment to security personnel. As for the University of Vigo, it participates as a research center in 5G networks and an active collaborator in the design, deployment and validation of the demonstrator. Securitas has collaborated in the implementation of the security solution based on these technologies.
As Mercedes Fernández, Innovation Manager at Telefónica Spain, points out: “Network Slicing technology, applied to 5G Stand Alone networks, will make it possible to offer services tailored to each client, with a specific quality of service. The presence of a network orchestrator is essential to grant the necessary dynamism that allows our network to adapt in real time to the demanded needs. With this proof of concept, we offer a vision of how ultra-evolved 5G networks will have a direct impact on the digital transformation of companies and society as a whole.”
For his part, Germán Ibáñez, director of Innovation at Securitas Seguridad España, considers that "this project clearly connects with Securitas' strategy of incorporating new technologies in all our business areas in order to provide more value to our customers and improve your security. The confluence of advances in connectivity, robotics and electronic security make this futuristic concept of protection a reality that could very soon be part of the most advanced security solutions that we offer to clients in sectors such as industrial, corporate or educational".
As Rodolfo de Benito Arango, Director of Technology Transfer at Alisys, points out, “this collaboration demonstrates that the evolution of 5G networks is key to the deployment of service robotics and opens up a new range of possibilities for these devices to operate in emergency and dangerous situations, increasing the safety of people, thanks to the ultra-low latency and the extreme speed with which data flows.”
As indicated by Antonio Conde, Director of Innovation and Digital Transformation at Cisco Spain, “5G networks must be flexible and programmable to dynamically adapt to different use cases. We are delighted to provide the heart of the network and the slicing capabilities in this pioneering project that opens up a whole range of possibilities for the digitization of multiple sectors in our country.”
Likewise, Felipe Gil, the researcher in charge of this project at the University of Vigo, highlighted that with this proof of concept they have been able to accompany Telefónica, Cisco, ZTE, Alisys and Securitas in the steps they take from basic research to the concepts behind network virtualization to its practical application in a realistic scenario. "This path has helped us to fully understand all the effort that equipment manufacturers, operators and integrators have to make to get the research results to users, which allows us to better focus our work on its practical application." ”. A mayor also highlighted that the School of Telecommunications Engineering is proud that its teachers and research staff always work at the forefront of technology. "The successes achieved in these areas are transferred to all educational areas and thus guarantee that the training of students at all levels (undergraduate, master's and doctorate) is cutting-edge, which is reflected in a high demand for these profiles trained in the EET of the University of Vigo”, stressed the researcher.
On the other hand, Victor Manuel Pascual CTO of ZTE Spain, has pointed out that "with the virtualization and slicing of 5G networks, ZTE has been demonstrating in Spain since 2018 how 5G networks have to grow so that, on a single access network, companies can customize their services depending on the specific needs of their business. The definition of the business no longer needs to be adapted to the network and this will be the one that adapts to the business.”