From Theory to Practice: Testing 5G Geo-Positioning in a Real-World Laboratory

Imagine rescue teams being able to share their location in real time even deep underground. Or construction teams on a complex site always having a precise overview of the positions of vehicles, machinery, and personnel – even under constantly changing conditions during the construction phase. This is exactly where 5G geo-positioning comes in – a technology that sets new standards in terms of accuracy and reliability, even where GPS or radar reach their limits.

After successful laboratory tests, we wanted to find out: Does the technology deliver under real-world conditions? Together with selected partners, we therefore conducted an early field test in a practical environment – a real-world laboratory – during the summer.

What is 5G Geo-Positioning?

Unlike GPS, which relies on satellite signals, or other positioning solutions, 5G geo-positioning uses the radio signals of a mobile network. This allows connected devices to be located precisely and in real time – even inside buildings, underground, or in densely built-up areas.

For businesses, this opens up many new possibilities:

Tunnel rescue services & industrial fire brigades: reliable location data in critical situations.
Industry & construction: precise tracking of equipment and vehicles on complex construction sites.
Manufacturing: accurate positioning of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and reduced time spent searching for specific machines.
Ports, airports, and logistics: use of drones and autonomous goods vehicles to make processes faster and safer.
Hospitals: reduced time spent searching for equipment – currently estimated at around 30 minutes per nurse per shift.

Key Focus Areas

Our primary focus was to understand how the solution behaves under real-world conditions. This included both aspects of configuration and calibration in a real environment as well as measurement-related questions concerning accuracy and granularity. How close are the results to the actual values? What resolution can be achieved? What sources of error – whether systematic or random – exist?

Findings from the Early Field Test

The test yielded far more insights than can be published here or described in full. However, we can share a summary of the results obtained from the different test groups:

The devices used consistently ensured reliable operation under real-world conditions and the associated structural and physical challenges.
The selected 5G campus solution demonstrated reliable interaction across all manufacturers, architectures, and solution components.
This also confirmed that the solution achieves sufficient accuracy in time synchronization across all IT components.
Test cases for both groups (aboveground and underground) delivered similar and therefore comparable results, providing confidence in the next steps.
Even at this early stage, the achieved granularity of below 10 meters is impressive and already meets the requirements of Search and Rescue and Construction scenarios.

Our analyses, conducted together with the manufacturers, also provided valuable insights into areas for improvement and how accuracy and granularity can be specifically enhanced.

Outlook: Opportunities for Businesses

The tests so far have demonstrated that 5G geo-positioning works – and it has the potential to transform many industries. It is particularly exciting where geo-positioning becomes an additional value-added service in 5G campus networks.

For our customers, this means:

New use cases can be developed that were previously either impossible or only feasible with proprietary individual solutions.
Campus networks become more versatile and can integrate additional applications.
Greater safety and efficiency in critical environments through precise location data.

We are convinced that this technology is a key component in unlocking the full potential of 5G.

Our Partners at a Glance

Such a project relies on close collaboration with specialized partners. Each contributed their expertise in a clearly defined role, making the early field test possible:

i.safe MOBILE
Provided robust, industrial-grade devices (including EX-certified-models) specifically designed for demanding environments such as construction sites and mines. These devices formed the basis for practical testing in a real world laboratory setting.

LiteOn
Supplied the necessary radio hardware (RAN hardware), which formed the basis for signal transmission and ensured a stable 5G connection in the lab an the testbed.

SRS
Delivered the RAN software and played a key role in analyzing the test results. Their software radio expertise was key to interpreting measurements and identifying optimization potential.

Druid Software
Provided the private 5G core network, ensuring reliable processing of data between devices, radio hardware, and the positioning engine.

Combain
Supplied the positioning engine that translated radio signals into precise location information and was heavily involved in analyzing test results.

Logicalis Connected:
We coordinated the entire project, including integration of all components, setup of the mobile test environment, conducting the tests in the lab, and consolidating the results. We guided the project from initial concept to practical implementation.

Conclusion

Our early field test represents an important step: from theory to real-world application. The results clearly show that 5G geo-positioning is not just a vision for the future – it is already feasible today and can deliver tangible value for many businesses in the near future.

Topic

Telecommunications

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