Electronics developers across the logistics sector are rushing to replace fourth-generation (4G) data networks with a fifth-generation (5G) upgrade they say will increase speed and reduce power demands for everything from handheld computers to Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.
But outside of wireless device vendors, few people understand the full implications of that migration. That may soon change, thanks to a new partnership between the Canadian wireless network operator TeraGo Inc. and Ontario-based McMaster University, which will join forces to build and deploy the first university-based 5G millimeter wave private network for research.
By equipping McMaster with the 5G network, the partners hope to jointly develop advanced manufacturing and logistics technologies, while also supporting technology in the classroom for student projects in areas like machine learning, augmented reality, remote automation, and edge computing, they said in a release.
“As society rides the revolutionary wave of Industry 4.0 in real time, we intend to further accelerate it by leveraging advanced manufacturing and logistics through a 5G millimeter wave private network,” TeraGo chief operating officer and chief revenue officer Blake Wetzel said in the release. “The beauty of the work we will be doing is that it solves real-life, business, and societal problems, which will make it appealing to both the Canadian government and corporate enterprises.”
