The webinar held on 5 December 2023 focused on interoperability of European 5G platforms for Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM). After a short introduction on the importance and relevance of interoperability given by Gorka Vélez, 5GMETA technical project coordinator, three speakers took the floor to express their view and experience on 5G interoperability by underlining the importance of creating working connections between platforms to ensure effective deployment of 5G technology.
Federico Princiotto from the Links Foundation presented how interoperability between the 5GMETA and 5G-IANA Platforms was tested and implemented. The 5GMETA Platform serves as a data-centric messaging platform for connected automated vehicles, acting as a bridge between data producers (e.g., vehicles, smart infrastructure) and consumers (third parties). The 5G-IANA Platform facilitates the deployment of automotive-related applications and operates around the concept of network applications. The demonstration showcased the integrated use of 5GMETA and 5G-IANA, creating adaptive layers between the two platforms to enable seamless communication and data exchange. Such interoperability was achieved by creating two software components as network functions that act as an adaptive layer, allowing applications developed in 5G-IANA to communicate using the 5GMETA channel.
Christophe Couturier, from Yogoko, introduced the audience to the 5GASP project, aiming to develop a platform for testing and certifying network applications for 5G. He discussed the challenges and promises of 5G technology, emphasising the need for communication standards in Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS). Christophe presented one of the Yogoko’s contributions, the Virtual RSU (vRSU), enhancing 5G gNB to enable V2X communications. He outlined how Yogoko plans to collaborate between 5GASP and 5G-IANA, adapting their nApp to the modularity of 5G-IANA for simplified development and integration. The presentation concludes with an invitation for testing on their 5G platform.
Juan Brenes from NXW presented the results of interoperability demonstrations on the VITAL 5G platform. He discussed the challenges faced and lessons learned during the experiments involving two demos. The first demo involved a deep learning object detection network application developed in 5G-IANA, deployed in Antwerp, testing its ability to consume video streams and detect objects. The second demo featured a quality monitoring application within the 5G INNOD. Juan explained the process of technical design, secure channel creation, and onboarding phases for network applications in VITAL 5G. The presentation highlighted the commonality in the definition of network applications and the shared tools among different experimentation platforms, making collaboration smoother. Juan identified technical solution design as the most challenging part, emphasizing the importance of describing available services for meaningful interactions with external parties.
The lessons learned and best practices shared during the webinar are deemed valuable for other projects, especially in advancing 5G technology in the automotive sector.