The West Midlands region is the setting for the world’s first Industrial Enterprise and Internet of Things (IoT) trial of new WiFi 6 services.

The Wireless Broadband Alliance has announced the world’s first WiFi 6 Industrial Enterprise and IoT trial, as part of its ongoing WiFi 6 programme.

The region, under the leadership of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, was selected to be the UK’s 5G Testbed for manufacturing and security by the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. This trial will demonstrate the role that WiFi 6 has to play in the broader 5G ecosystem.

Mettis Aerospace, a key supplier for organisations like Airbus, Boeing and Rolls-Royce, will work with local members to test several use cases on a WiFi 6 network at its 27-acre West Midlands facility.

The trial, the first of a series of global trials, will enable the use of augmented reality, real-time monitoring of equipment, and a host of other applications in an enterprise network environment designed to digitise Mettis’ production line.

Use cases under consideration include multi stream live video monitoring; real time energy monitoring; ultra-reliable low latency communications with sensors on critical systems and augmented reality for trouble shooting. Some applications will require high bandwidth, others low latency and mission critical applications need clear prioritisation for data.

According to the partners, WiFi 6 is well-positioned to support the provision of cost-effective enterprise-level connectivity in this industrial environment, to these standards using the latest security capabilities.

“We’re delighted to be the first aerospace company to trial Wi-Fi 6, by working with the WBA, we’re able to gain access to dozens of leading vendors and operators in the Wi-Fi arena,” said Dave Green, head of IT for Mettis Aerospace. “Industrial manufacturers work in incredibly complex environments, which can make cellular technologies challenging to deploy and operate effectively - we believe that Wi-Fi 6 has a significant role to play within the 5G ecosystem, enabling a range of, cost-effective, industrial applications.”

WBA said this first trial will serve as an example to industrial manufacturers around the world which are embracing the move to ‘industry 4.0’ about the capabilities to deliver transformation with WiFi 6.

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