5G IA
DIGITAL REPORT 2020
5G Innovation and Digital Transformation
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5G Innovation and Digital Transformation
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Colin Willcock, Chairman of the Board at 5G IA, discusses 5G innovation, digital transformation and the impact of COVID-19
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raduating with a doctorate in parallel computation in 1992, Colin Willcock, Chairman of the Board of the 5G IA,
began his career in a small telecoms consultant company working with multiple major companies including Siemens and Alcatel in the area of test 04
equipment. Dr. Willcock moved to Nokia in 1999 where he has held various positions in research and standardisation. In 2017 Dr. Willcock was presented with the opportunity to be the representative for Nokia in the 5G IA board where shortly afterwards he took over the position of chairman. Established in December 2013, Dr. Willcock explained that “5G IA’s ambition is to be the voice of the European industry on all things 5G, including research, development and deployment. As well as the big players within the industry such as Nokia, Ericsson and Orange, the 5G IA also includes SMEs, academics and research institutes. We’ve got the whole ecosystem within the association and we try and work with the European
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“ 5G IA’s ambition is to be the voice of the European industry on all things 5G, including research, development and deployment” — Colin Willcock, Chairman of the Board, 5G IA
was the running of the 5G public private partnership (5G PPP), so the 5G IA is responsible for industrial side of
Commission quite closely to develop
this key research partnership between
the best strategies for Europe when it
the public and private sectors to bring
comes to 5G. One of the main things
leadership in 5G research.”
we concentrate on and the initial reason for the creation of the association
Over the years, the 5G PPP has worked on multiple projects which
5G PPP phase 3: Providing solutions for verticals
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E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :
Colin Willcock Title: Chairman of the Board
Company: 5G IA
Industry: Telecommunications
Location: Germany
Colin has detailed knowledge and experience of the telecommunications industry having worked directly or indirectly with many of the major players over a 28-year period. The roles have included software developer, technical consultant, technical marketing, standardization and management. The software development has been at both the project and product levels including responsible for customer relations and software QA procedures. The management has been at project, program, group and competence area level, often involving multi-site and multi-country responsibilities. In addition to line manager roles, he has participated extensively in standardization activities at ETSI, ITU-T and 3GPP, including instrumental work in creating and developing the TTCN-3 testing language. Colin has also been very active in the European research ecosystem, including leading a number of awardwinning European projects such as TT-Medal, D-MINT and SEMAFOUR. Colin is currently head of Radio Network Standardization at Nokia and in addition is also the chairman of the board of the 5G Infrastructure Association.
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have set the foundation for the indus-
bringing this 5G technology to other
try’s understanding of 5G. “One of the
industries outside of the classical
key results from the 5G PPP projects
telecoms sector such as automotive,
has been the creation of pre-standard-
healthcare, media, industry 4.0, smart
isation consensus. This consensus has
cities and smart agriculture, to drive
encompassed what the key functional
digital transformation and to make sure
blocks and requirements should be, as
that the European industry is competi-
well as what 5G should do and what 5G
tive by using this technology.” Dr.
should be. “The 5G PPP program will
Willcock explained that, “the promise
run for seven to eight years. In the first
of 5G is to use this technology as the
phase which covered the first three
enabling glue to make a truly digital
to four years we have been doing
society, both commercially within
fundamental research into 5G. The
industry, but also from a societal point
second phase was centred around
of view as an infrastructure to tackle
5G PPP reference figure of active projects in Phase III
“ In this second phase we’ve been working together with these industries to show them that it is worth investing in 5G technology” — Colin Willcock, Chairman of the Board, 5G IA
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The Need For 5G CLICK TO WATCH
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2:45
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5G PPP Phase 3 Platforms Cartography
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key societal issues. In 5G PPP phase
Talking about the third phase, Dr.
two, we have worked with many big
Willcock said “I think we’ve demon-
names from the vertical industries –
strated the power of 5G and the need
Volvo, BMW, ABB and Siemens. For
to invest in the technology. In phase
such companies 5G is not their core
three, what we’re trying to do is build
business. Connectivity is important
a 5G innovation platform, where players
to them, but not necessarily central. In
within the industry such as innovative
this second phase we’ve been put-
SMEs, can develop their ideas on a
ting the ideas together from both the
5G platform. The concept is to drive
vertical industries and the telecoms
the next innovative ideas by giving
industries to come up with better
them access to 5G technologies
solutions for the future. We have
to show that it works.”
shown them that it is worth investing in 5G technology”
In addition to driving the development and adoption of 5G, Dr. Willcock
5G by Colin Willcock 5G IA Chair, announcing the 7th Global 5G Event CLICK TO WATCH
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0:43
“ The promise of 5G is to use this technology as the enabling glue to make a digital society, both commercially within key industries, but also from a societal point of view” — Colin Willcock, Chairman of the Board, 5G IA
transformation and 5G technology to Europe and then deploy that technology across the world. We’ve
explained that “while we’re still very
got dozens of industries working
much at the beginning of the 5G story,
together to show how digital trans-
we have just had a call for project pro-
formation can help and trying to show
posals to look beyond 5G. We have
that it is worth investing in. So, it’s very
created the first versions of the 5G
much at the heart of what we’re doing,
standard and are now in the process
and I think we can claim quite a lot of
of evolving the technology to fully
success in driving digital transforma-
support the non-telecoms vertical
tion through the 5G PPP collaborative
industries. However, the network
projects. These projects have also
technology evolution will not stop
focused on other key transforma-
with 5G and we want to make sure
tional areas like standardisation.”
that we start looking at 6G early
One key element Dr. Willcock
enough to ensure Europe can retain
believes is often underrated is
its leadership role in this domain”.
the concept of culture and mindset.
When it comes to working with
“The problem is that industries are
organisations to drive transformation
often only interested in short term
and innovation within their operations,
technological solutions – this often
Dr. Willcock explained that, “obviously
leads them to apply the solutions of
digital transformation is at the heart
yesterday to the problems of tomor-
of what the 5G IA does. We are try-
row – this is often true when they
ing to bring leadership in digital
are considering communications 5g -ia . eu
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technologies. But if you look at the difference it makes to apply advanced communication technologies, like 5G, in terms of things like improving the process from the point of sales, through to manufacturing, to delivery, the potential advantage is huge in terms of money saved. The reality is, if you don’t move to that technology, there is a danger you will no longer be competitive. Too often the current culture and mindset is focused on the financial report for the next quarter or 14
the quarter after that. This short termism means it’s often very difficult to see the medium-term picture and the huge advantages.” This is where Dr. Willcock believes that the investment made by 5G IA demonstrates the advantages of applying future looking technologies and investing in digitalisation. “the 5G PPP projects gives a chance for organisations to actually look beyond short-term goals, and actually see the bigger picture, and hopefully then that will enable the mindset in those companies to be more open, to invest in more advanced technologies and gain competitive advantage”.
“ One of the things we concentrate on and the initial reason for the creation of the association was to run the 5G public private partnership (PPP)” — Colin Willcock, Chairman of the Board, 5G IA
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As technology evolves, Dr. Willcock
success. And with this increased
believes that along with the evolution
importance, the security and pro-
the importance of communications
tection aspects become ever more
technology continues to increase.
critical. If we look to the future, in five
However, with this increased impor-
years 5G will be one of the fundamen-
tance, “one needs to be careful
tal networks tying our world together,
because technology in isolation often
from the automated car driving on the
does not solve problems. It’s technol-
highway, to healthcare and energy
ogy, together with the ability to apply
systems, driving digital transformation.�
it, the right regulatory environment and investment that can determine 5g -ia . eu
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