Everyone is talking about 5G, but the technical development is not limited to the mobile communications sector. A second generation of LPWANs (Low Power Wide Area Network) is entering the market with components ready for series production in order to eliminate the shortcomings of the first generation of low-power wide area networks. They are more resistant to interference than the first LPWAN technologies, can manage huge numbers of nodes, use the spectrum more efficiently and require even less energy.

The competition between mobile communications and license-free wireless technologies therefore continues. Industrial users will have more alternatives than ever before with the announced private local 5G mobile networks and the use of 4G mobile technologies in license-free bands - also thanks to advances in the use of light (LiFi).

The location-based services segment is currently receiving a new boost. For example, the new Bluetooth standard 5.1 now includes integrated location functions. New wireless sensors, equipped with location awareness, allow measured values to be combined with localization data in order to make location-based decisions - without GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), in closed rooms.

Many topics - one Wireless Congress

The Wireless Congress Systems & Applications, which Elektronik organizes together with ZVEI and Messe München, the organizer of Electronica, traditionally brings together the latest technical developments in wireless communication. This concentration is one of the strengths of the Wireless Congress, which, as the meeting place for the wireless community in Munich, brings together researchers, developers, system integrators and professional users - regardless of whether the focus is on hardware or software.

The call for papers for the 16th Wireless Congress is currently open. Proposals for presentations and workshops can be submitted until 30 April 2019 - e.g. on new technical developments such as mMTC (massive Machine-Type Communications), URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications), eMMB (enhanced Mobile BroadBand), the use of AI in communication technology, standardization and conformity issues, practical experience, applications and measurement challenges.

Further current topics such as information-centric networking (ICN), resilient networks and radio protocols for real-time applications as well as tactile Internet can be found in the comprehensive overview of topics in the Wireless Congress 2019 call-for-papers brochure on the Internet.