Making Portugal a 5G leader

(Posted August 2022)  As 5G promises to transform multiple industrial sectors, Portugal decided not to be left behind. The town of Aveiro in the country. Northwest is playing a leading role in developing 5G applications that local industry can use.

Huawei has partnered with the University of Aveiro and Portugal’s Institute of Telecommunications to open a 5G and AI laboratory at Aveiro. The facility, called 5GAIner, was inaugurated in 2021. It is focused on enabling Portuguese researchers to test new concepts and evaluate the creation of products that can be exploited for innovation and industry development activities.

One of the first companies to participate is the German precision manufacturer Bosch. It operates in Aveiro a plant producing a range of water heating systems, boilers, and heat pumps for residential use. It is currently using 5G to create a more connected, smart factory in which devices “talk” to each other.

"We have Huawei as one of the most advanced key players in 5G,” says Nelson Ferreira, the Bosch manager tasked with implementing the companys Industry 4.0 industrial transformation.This was really crucial for our choice to move forward together.

According to a Deloitte study, 5G could generate 17 billion Euros of new revenues for Portugal between 2021 and 2035.

See how the town of Aveiro goes about developing 5G applications: