"The new 5G mobile communications standard will create a new wave of innovation in industry," says Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe AG, and adds: "If you want to know more about test fields and initial applications of 5G in industry, you should visit the '5G Arena' in Hall 16. Here, together with our technology partners from Nokia and Qualcomm, we are setting up a real, functioning 5G network. Eight showcases will be networked in real life via the 5G standard." A few examples:

• Zeiss is demonstrating inline process control. It is used to enable a 100% inspection of car body parts. In many cases, a random sample that is extrapolated is not sufficient to reliably monitor and control processes. In the 'Zeiss AICell' inline measuring cell, various inline sensors check all the necessary features, gaps and flushes as well as the surface quality of the car body.
• Among other things,Bosch Rexroth will be showing a mobile control panel that enables collaborative work with robots and demonstrating the integration of Industrial Ethernet via 5G.
• The demonstrator from Weidmüller Interface will showcase 5G energy monitoring for weld seam monitoring. The analysis unit receives its data directly from the welding process and forwards it to a Weidmüller visualization unit via a 5G modem and the corresponding 5G network.
• Swedish network supplier Ericsson is taking the year of the 5G launch and Sweden's appointment as partner country 2019 as an opportunity to expand its presence at the leading trade fair for Industry 4.0. The company will be presenting current research projects and product solutions relating to 5G at three locations - in the 5G Arena in Hall 16, at its large central stand in Hall 8 and at the Swedish Co-Lab Pavilion in Hall 27.

In addition to the 5G ACIA (5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation), the following companies will also be represented in the '5G Arena': ASTI, DFKI, Festo, Götting, Harting, HMS Industrial Networks, Ifak, Nokia, Phoenix Contact, Qualcomm, R3 Communication, SICP, Siemens and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

Not only the '5G Arena' will be a place for technical networking: more than 50 international speakers from business, science and politics will have their say in the forum and conference and discuss the different perspectives, opportunities and challenges of 5G. The program will run during the trade fair from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Hall 16. The conference on Wednesday, 3 April, will be held under the patronage of Lower Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs, Dr. Bernd Althusmann. On this day, conceivable business models and the strategic importance of the new standard for Germany as a business location and for each individual company will become clear.