The 5G Real‑Lab in the Braunschweig‑Wolfsburg mobility region was established as a public, sector‑crossing testbed to investigate and demonstrate the practical use of 5G as a key technology for smart regions and cities. Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport under the 5G Innovation Programme, the project ran from 2019 to 2023 and linked the regional test fields Testfeld Niedersachsen and the Digital Mobility Testfeld Wolfsburg with the public 5G mobile network. The laboratory integrated its activities into existing living‑lab platforms such as the Intelligent Mobility Application Platform (AIM) and the #Wolfsburg Digital initiative, ensuring that the developed solutions could be transferred into real‑world deployments and scaled by industry partners.
Technically, the Real‑Lab focused on three core layers: the 5G technology layer, the 5G service layer, and the application layer. The technology layer established a foundation for vehicle‑to‑vehicle (V2X) communication, enabling low‑latency, high‑reliability data exchange between connected vehicles. The service layer introduced a 5G broadcast service (TP2.2) that supports local, small‑cell broadcast of high‑bandwidth content, and a Location‑Based Data Management (LDM) service that can ingest dynamic data streams beyond the existing Fiware database. These services were implemented on the public 5G network and are designed to be reusable for a wide range of use cases, from smart construction to industrial automation. The Real‑Lab also produced a set of toolchains for 5G broadcast and a guideline for repeatable PIM (Performance‑In‑Motion) measurements, which will inform future standardisation efforts.
On the application side, the laboratory demonstrated several use cases. In smart construction, 5G enabled real‑time monitoring of building sites, allowing for immediate feedback on safety and progress. In mobility, the V2X experiments improved communication between vehicles and infrastructure, reducing latency and increasing reliability. The Real‑Lab also explored digital twin scenarios, where real‑time sensor data is streamed to virtual models for predictive maintenance and optimisation. All experiments were carried out in the public 5G network, synchronised with the two mobile operators Telekom and Vodafone (Zug), ensuring that the latest releases and edge‑computing capabilities were utilised.
The project’s collaboration structure involved Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS as the lead partner, with JOSEPHS GmbH contracted to support the 5G Forum, a stakeholder platform within the Real‑Lab. JOSEPHS delivered two main work packages until 31 December 2021: “Test Operation” and “Sustainability”. In the Test Operation package, JOSEPHS organised weekly web conferences, a virtual lightning talk on event planning, and an online workshop that used an Event Canvas to co‑create a symposium concept. These activities fostered co‑creative innovation methods and improved communication among partners and citizens. In the Sustainability package, JOSEPHS conducted desk research on ten comparable 5G real labs in the DACH region, analysed their business models with a Business Model Canvas, and tested two use cases—an EKG vest and a 5G Forum image film—at the international iENA fair and in an open innovation lab. Feedback from tablet surveys informed the refinement of the 5G Forum’s business model, highlighting opportunities for consulting services, proprietary 5G infrastructure leasing, and accelerator programmes for start‑ups.
The collaboration extended beyond Fraunhofer and JOSEPHS to include telecom operators, municipal authorities, and citizen groups, all contributing to the Real‑Lab’s open, interdisciplinary environment. The project concluded its active work packages in late 2021, with no further work packages carried out in 2022 and the first half of 2023. The outcomes—technical foundations, service layers, and validated use cases—are documented in the public consortium report and are intended to serve as a knowledge base for future 5G deployments across Germany and beyond.