The 5G Open Innovation Lab helps companies of all stages realize the potential of 5G in edge computing, aiming to build a software ecosystem. They are backed by 14 corporate partnerships such as Intel, Microsoft, and T-Mobile, aiming to bring together different companies and develop different use cases.

In this episode of TFiR Let’s Talk, Swapnil Bhartiya sits down with Jim Brisimitzis, Founder and General Partner at 5G Open Innovation Lab, to discuss 5G adoption in the enterprise space and the role private 5G networks will play in the future. He dives into the debate of Wi-Fi versus Private 5G networks, and the pros and cons of both types of connectivity. He talks extensively about the use of edge and shares some key use cases.

Key highlights from the video interview are:

• The 5G Open Innovation Lab works with companies of all stages aimed at building a software ecosystem around the potential of 5G in edge computing. They work with enterprise teams who are building capabilities in the communications sector, as well as edge applications and edge infrastructure. Brisimitzis introduces us to the 5G Open Innovation Lab and its key focuses.
• 5G from a carrier service provider perspective can be defined as the cloudification of their networks. 5G standards have new capabilities like network slicing, dynamic spectrum sharing as CSPs move towards cloudified architectures. Brisimitzis goes into detail about the evolution towards 5G and the edge and why they felt a software ecosystem needed to be put in place.
• Adoption of 5G devices in the enterprise is growing, not just mobile phones but connected laptops, and IoT sensors. Private enterprise wireless networks are also being explored, but as Brisimitzis explains each new generation of mobile networks has a 10-15 year run. He goes into depth about one of their key use cases, a large mining operation in Canada and why they needed to move to a private 5G network.
• The arrival of private 5G networks has sparked a debate as to the future of Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi 6 as it moves to Wi-Fi 7. However, Brisimitzis feels that they will continue to co-exist since Wi-Fi has its benefits as do private 5G networks. Brisimitzis shares his insights into why he feels they will both continue to co-exist as enterprises explore different options.
• Brisimitzis goes into the key use cases they are seeing with Private 5G networks, such as robotics which needs ultra-low latency. He explains that they are starting to see cellular-based augmented reality, an area he feels will continue to grow. He discusses the challenges of handling the complexity of deploying, planning, and implementing cellular-based networks.
• While cloud adoption is growing, for a lot of companies who are generating huge amounts of data sending it up to a centralized cloud does not make sense. Brisimitzis explains how edge is being used to tackle this challenge although it comes with a lot of complexity. He goes into detail about how automakers are using edge and we are still at the precipice of unlocking all the edge capabilities.
• Edge can be defined in different ways depending on who you talk to. Brisimitzis shares his definition of edge. He believes it is about proximity-based computing for the applications demand or for the users themselves. He takes as through one of their partners, Vapor IO, and how it fits in the edge market.
• Just as Microsoft transitioned from on-prem products to cloud-enabled services, Brisimitzis feels that a similar transition will happen with private 5G networks and edge. While CSPs have spent billions of dollars buying spectrum for use by their consumer customers, Brisimitzis believes that there is a lot of opportunity for standing up those private networks for enterprises. He discusses these potential opportunities and how they are helping to support this.

Connect with Jim Brisimitzis (LinkedIn, Twitter)
Learn more about 5G Open Innovation Lab (Twitter)

The summary of the show is written by Emily Nicholls.