Solve for Tomorrow: 5G for Society

Tracks

5G will change the world profoundly.
Different life situations and social areas will be affected but can benefit from it at the same time.
This challenge aims to identify and develop ways and business models from the changes resulting from 5G that can have a positive impact on society.
Based on the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, we focus on the following tracks.

Environment

Develop ideas on how to fight our environmental problems such as global warming, plastic waste and emissions.

Global warming, plastics in the oceans, scarcity of drinking water, extinction of species: serious problems that require smart small and large solutions and the willingness of each individual to become actively involved.  So how can 5G technology be used to tackle the waste problem, reduce our traffic or energy consumption? Questions that can also be better addressed with the help of intelligent monitoring and sensor technology as well as powerful connectivity that 5G will bring.

Education

Develop ideas for educational purposes such as new forms of learning or access to education.

How can the potential of 5G be used for educational purposes? The all-round connected university campus is obvious - but what happens beyond that? Should more augmented- and virtual reality be used in lecture halls and seminars? Should lectures and in-service training take place in immersive virtual environments? Or should children be able to do (interactive) home school like a home office? How can 5G also facilitate access to education in poor regions? Or do you have an idea of how knowledge can be imparted in a playful way through gaming approaches à la Pokémon Go?

Medicine and Health

Think of an Internet of Medical Things and create use cases, where the interaction of devices and sensors can help to stay healthy in old age or prevent disease.

5G, with appropriate network coverage, provides the foundation for sustainably improving overall medical care. The "Internet of Medical Things" - the interaction of networked devices and sensors for recording medical data - can help all of us in any situation and at any age to stay healthy longer and live independently. But 5G has much more potential for the healthcare sector.

Communities

Create use cases for smart communities, where citizens are better connected and are provided with resources more efficiently.

Many communities already make information accessible according to the "Open Data" principle. Let your creativity flow: How can 5G help communities and neighbourhoods become smart communities where, for example, the supply of public goods is intelligently optimized or citizens feel better served and protected? How is it possible to share scarce resources based on real-time information? And how can social support with more connectivity be better organized and coordinated?

Security and Precaution

Develop ideas on how to prevent emergencies, detect epidemics and increase security in public spaces.

Today, environmental monitoring systems, satellites, sensors or drones already record large amounts of data, but only a fraction of them can be yet evaluated and used for (real-time) decision-making processes. With 5G this will change, analyses and evaluations will be possible in real-time. So how can security forces, scientists and authorities use the enormous advantages of 5G to prevent emergencies, detect disease or increase security in public spaces?

Be creative!

If you have use cases that are innovative, based on 5G and help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals that don’t fit exactly in the tracks defined above, don’t hesitate and submit your creative solution.

What are the Sustainable Development Goals and what do you need to know about it for the challenge?

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. Further details can be found here: sustainabledevelopment.un.org