Wu Hequan analyzes the misunderstandings of 5G application in industrial Internet: a new 5G2B architecture needs to be developed

At the summit forum of the "Fifth Future Network Development Conference" held in Nanjing, Jiangsu on June 17, Wu Hequan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered a speech entitled "From 5G2C to 5G2B". He pointed out that directly moving the 5G2C architecture to 5G2B is not suitable for the needs of enterprise intranets and integration with OT. We need to develop a new 5G2B architecture to support low-latency, high-reliability, and high-security applications in enterprise networks.

Academician Wu Hequan analyzed that the current development of the industrial Internet has two major misunderstandings: "top-heavy" and "avoiding the important and focusing on the trivial". "Top-heavy" refers to avoiding the problem of difficult on-site data collection for vertical industry enterprises, and focusing on the enterprise brain and platform. However, the enterprise brain only collects underlying statistical data and external data, and does not require high real-time performance. The enterprise cerebellum that directly controls the production process at the workshop level is more important. "Avoiding the important and focusing on the trivial" refers to being limited by the protocol openness of on-site industrial control equipment, and not starting with machine networking, so the enterprise cerebellum has no data to mine.

In addition, the current application of 5G in the industrial Internet also includes two misunderstandings: "focusing on the external and neglecting the internal" and "replacing the internal with the external". He explained that "focusing on the external and neglecting the internal" means that the machine data and sensor data of the enterprise basically do not leave the enterprise network, but now there is too much focus on building cross-enterprise identification systems and high-quality enterprise external networks; while "replacing the internal with the external" means that the 5G2C architecture is directly moved to 5G2B, which is not suitable for the needs of the enterprise intranet and integration with OT. 5G fully connected factories are not realistic. At present, 5G is mainly used at the field level and mostly for machine vision video transmission, and has not yet entered mainstream applications.

He said that the traditional industrial Internet based on field-level industrial control equipment has multiple layers, fragmented standards, difficult IT/OT integration, and low network security.

5G not only adds optional access modes to the field level of the Industrial Internet, but also the new industrial control gateway that integrates the new generation of information technology based on the 5G industrial module will promote the flattening, IPization and wirelessization of the Industrial Internet, realize the seamless integration of IT/OT, show the new pattern of the Industrial Internet, and open up new space for 5G industrial applications.

The 5G2C architecture is not suitable for all 5G2B enterprise application scenarios. We need to conduct in-depth research on the needs of enterprise networks and develop a new 5G2B architecture to support low-latency, high-reliability, and high-security applications in enterprise networks.

He emphasized that in the development of the new 5G2B architecture and the new 5G industrial control gateway, it is necessary to strengthen the cooperation between industry, academia, research and application, base on innovation, clarify needs, start with standards, promote pilot projects, form an industry, and support the high-quality and sustainable development of my country's industry.