London, April 17, 2019: The Wireless Broadband Alliance has announced the world’s first WiFi 6 Industrial Enterprise and Internet of Things (IoT) trial, as part of its ongoing WiFi 6 program.
Mettis Aerospace, a designer and manufacturer of precision-forged, machined and sub-assembled components, primarily for the aerospace and defense industry, will work with WBA members to test several use cases on a WiFi 6 network at its 27-acre West Midlands facility. According to a press release by the Alliance, 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 digitize Mettis’ production line. Mettis Aerospace is a key supplier for organisations like Airbus, Boeing and Rolls-Royce.
The West Midlands 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 & Sport. This trial will demonstrate the role that WiFi 6 has to play in the broader 5G ecosystem.
“WiFi 6 is a critical component for the future of connectivity for enterprises, operators and consumers. The work of Mettis Aerospace, the WBA and its members will clearly illustrate the role that WiFi 6 has to play,” said Tiago Rodrigues, General Manager, WBA, in the statement.
“WiFi 6 has inherent capabilities that enables wireless to be more deterministic, which is important for mission-critical IoT assets being used in manufacturing automation”, says Matt MacPherson, CTO Wireless at Cisco.
Image Credit: WBA