Working together with its strategic partner Huawei, Sunrise has built the leading 5G network in Europe. Now with the first 5G Joint Innovation Center in Europe, Sunrise and Huawei will work together to research and develop 5G applications for both the private and business sectors. The joint innovation center will additionally help to build a Swiss 5G ecosystem, using Sunrise’s headquarters in Opfikon to introduce live 5G application scenarios that have already been launched or are about to be commercialized.

“With the opening of the first 5G Joint Innovation Center in Europe, we as a leading 5G provider are taking another important step. What we have presented today will showcase the huge potential of 5G applications for both the private and business sectors. I am particularly proud of the fact that we are the first provider in the world to launch a cloud gaming service with 4K resolution over 5G”, said Olaf Swantee, CEO of Sunrise.

In the Joint Innovation Center, Huawei will also operate an OpenLab, which is equipped with state-of-the-art technology. In the OpenLab, developers of 5G applications can use a live end-to-end 5G network to test their applications or solutions under real 5G conditions before launching them commercially. Huawei will also provide components such as IoT sensors and end devices for test purposes.

“A successful 5G business requires a healthy and prosperous business environment. It is what the JIC is established for: to innovate, experience and incubate 5G services. I believe a single spark can start a prairie fire, and whatever JIC incubates, it could set as pilots for global carriers,” said Ryan Ding, Executive Director, CEO of the Carrier BG, Huawei.

“The center is very important for Huawei and for the industry,” enthuses Haitao Wang, CEO of Huawei Switzerland. “The aim is to stimulate the 5G eco-system in Switzerland by showcasing real 5G-use cases for business customers and consumers and supporting third party companies to develop and test their 5G-based applications. With this center we can drive innovation on 5G, one of the core technologies for the next decade.”

Sunrise 5G cases:

Smart farming: Environmentally friendly technology for increased production

At Agroscope Tänikon (Thurgau), researchers are using the new 5G network to test the latest technologies, which are designed to help farmers optimize their cows’ milk production and track their feeding behavior. The aim is to achieve the highest possible production under optimal animal welfare conditions.

Furthermore, 5G transmission enables high-resolution data transmission in real-time. This allows farmers to directly monitor the calving process of their cows, including through using a high-resolution camera. This saves unnecessary physical check-ups in the stable and the farmers now know how their cows are doing at all times. The sensors in their collars record rhythmic ruminations and detect when a cow is in heat based on the animal’s altered movement behavior. This is important because high-yield cows are very sensitive and quite often will not conceive. What is even more important is identifying the optimal time for insemination. This technology is still in development at the moment and is being subjected to real-life testing. The new transmission options that come with 5G will allow similar sensors to be put into operation in the future without much effort in terms of installation. Once installed, farmers will be able to view the data recorded by the sensors directly from their smartphone. This technology has real potential for making animal husbandry more efficient and more species appropriate.

On the field, drone data can be sent directly via 5G antennas to the cloud for processing, with the farmer following the results in real time. As an example, the drones could be used to measure the nitrogen content of plants, so that fertilizer can be applied in a more precise and resource-efficient manner. Thanks to this new technology, farmers always know how much fertilizer they need to use in their fields, and where exactly they need to use it.

Autonomous robots are on the verge of being used in practice. For example, the company Ecorobotix from Yverdon already has very well developed prototypes and is planning to enter the market. In the future, fast 5G transmission technologies will make it possible to transfer pictures of fields immediately to the cloud. The farmers can collect the images and process them for analysis.

Smart manufacturing: 5G as a key factor for industrial digitization

The international industrial company GF Machining Solutions focuses on high-precision manufacturing technologies. In this field, 5G supports the implementation of innovative solutions for the optimization of both the machinery and the production process.

With Sunrise’s 5G network, GF Machining Solutions in Biel laid the foundations for the factory of the future. 5G makes the exact applications that are needed for the most interruption-free production process possible a reality. 5G gateways were installed and spread out across the entire factory floor. Machines can now be placed anywhere within the factory. Download speeds and transfer rates of well above 1.1 Gbps have been measured on the factory floor; this is about ten times faster than the speeds that were being recorded before the gateways were installed. All of this means that GF Machining Solutions is able to wirelessly and securely connect their machines to their cloud services and infrastructure while benefitting from minimal latency.

Thus, the 5G network enables predictive maintenance in almost real time. This concept entails the system being able to predict or determine when a machine needs maintenance and intervention, and unplanned downtime can be reduced or avoided altogether, thus helping to extend machine uptime and reduce costs.

Sunrise 5G Game Cloud: Next-Gen smartphone gaming

As the first provider worldwide, Sunrise is introducing the next generation of smartphone gaming: For the first time ever, it is possible to offer 4K gaming over 5G for supported devices. Sunrise will launch in collaboration with its platform partner Gamestream, the Sunrise Game Cloud 5G app in November this year.

Thanks to the low latency of the Sunrise 5G network, cloud gaming with high-end graphics is now a reality on smartphones as well. The Sunrise 5G network enables a stable connection for lag-free gaming, along with high bandwidth for high resolution gaming up to 4K (with HTC Hub or PC).

The Sunrise Game Cloud app offers 50 high-end console games, including popular games such as Tomb Raider, DiRT Rally (in 4K) or Roland Garros Tennis World Tour 2019 Edition, and is offered as a flat rate for smartphones of CHF 9.90 per month. The app will be available in November for Sunrise 5G customers in the Android Play Store and on www.sunrise.ch for other supported multiscreen devices.

Sunrise 5G customers can already register in advance at www.sunrise.ch/en/gaming, and will receive a free smartphone gaming controller.

5G makes live broadcasting more creative

The St. Jakob-Park stadium in Basel and the Weisse Arena in Laax are also benefitting from this revolutionary 5G technology.

Last summer, the 5G smart stadium at St. Jakob-Park in Basel was announced. Speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s will now be possible thanks to the new LAN and Wi-Fi infrastructure, which is connected to ultra HD cameras, monitors, sensors and other devices. The internal infrastructure and Sunrise’s 5G network combine to bring about the smart stadium experience at St. Jakob-Park and provide audiences with instant replays, multi-camera functions and virtual stadium visits, along with increased fan engagement thanks to a new voting app for FC Basel’s home games.

Digital transformation is also important when it comes to tourism. 5G offers the opportunity to drive digitization even further, and to offer guests a decisive added value in their digital customer journey. In November 2019, Sunrise will launch the world's first standardized 5G network in a ski resort, on the Crap Sogn Gion (2252 meters above sea level) in Laax. 5G in Laax will offer superfast broadband mobile Internet connections, smooth live 360° videos in 4K quality, augmented reality on mountain bike tours and for other events, and 4K live streaming via drones for skiing.

First on 5G

Sunrise already has the largest 5G network on offer in Switzerland, covering more than 262 towns and cities with 5G. However, this only includes areas where 5G reaches at least 80% of the local population. Gradually, 5G coverage will extend further and will include parts of major cities such as Zurich. These can be found on the coverage map by searching for cities and addresses.