Messe München puts one of the most modern public 5G networks into operation at the premiere of IAA MOBILITY with Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica Deutschland / O2—at the Munich exhibition grounds and in the city

High-speed communication will be permanently established at the Munich exhibition grounds through the network expansion.

Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica Deutschland / O2 and Messe München have expanded the scope of their cooperation. For IAA MOBILITY, which will take place in the Bavarian capital from September 7 to 12, 2021, the mobility platform of the future will be realized thanks to state-of-the-art 5G technology.

Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica Deutschland / O2 have already been network partners of Messe München in the area of mobile communications for several years.

Working in close cooperation, they sought solutions for implementing a new trade fair concept for IAA MOBILITY, a partnership project between the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and Messe München GmbH. With the Summit in the exhibition halls, Open Spaces at various locations in Munich’s city center, and the Blue Lane as a test track between the Summit and Open Space areas, the exhibitor area of IAA MOBILITY will extend across a large portion of the Munich metropolitan area this year for the first time.

The extensive distribution of exhibition venues and event spaces required the broadband infrastructure to be extended beyond the exhibition grounds and into a large part of the city. With this in mind, Messe München and the three mobile providers stepped up their strategic cooperation at an early stage.

5G infrastructure for Messe München

With their 5G solutions, Messe München and the mobile operators Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica Deutschland / O2 are providing the exhibitors with the necessary bandwidth both in the exhibition halls and at the Open Spaces and the Blue Lane.

A high double-digit number of new 5G sites will have been set up in the city by the start of IAA MOBILITY, along with additional macro sites to ensure basic coverage in the outdoor areas of Messe München. With that, one of the most modern public 5G networks was set up for Messe München in just eleven months, including a complete renovation of the entire antenna infrastructure on the exhibition grounds. The 5G spectrum used by the three network operators ranges from 800 megahertz frequencies that are particularly suited to 5G in buildings, up to 3.7 gigahertz frequencies that offer maximum bandwidth.

“Digitalization and communication are the drivers of the future—for us, this also includes 5G. The network expansion at the Munich exhibition grounds during and also after IAA MOBILITY enables 5G-based services for our exhibitors, allowing customers, for example, to experience connected and automated driving, augmented reality, or robotics on site. For us as a trade fair company, the 5G network also opens up new future potential, including in the area of smart fairs. The advances in automation and sensors, coupled with 5G technology, can take on a leading role in future, and enable us as a trade fair company to make exhibition operations even more effective and cost-efficient,” says Klaus Dittrich, Chairman and CEO of Messe München GmbH, describing the strength of the partnership milestones.

“Digitalization is the major step in transforming mobility. It is not only smartphone users who await 5G, this new technology also provides a key prerequisite for mobility of the future. With intelligent traffic control and increasingly connected and automated vehicles, we will achieve more safety, more freedom for drivers, and also more protection for the climate. The IAA MOBILITY 5G network makes it possible to experience this digital mobility of tomorrow,” says Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, explaining the significance of the technology for the industry.

Quote by Hagen Rickmann, Managing Director Business Customers Telekom Deutschland: “Today, Telekom already reaches more than 66 million people in Germany with its 5G network. Together with Messe München and our tailored 5G campus solutions, we are laying the foundation at IAA MOBILITY 2021 for the trade fair of the future.”

“With 5G standalone, we are bringing state-of-the-art 5G technology to Munich, and, with more than 100 special indoor antennas, the fastest network in the exhibition hall. That will make real-time in mobile communications reality at the first locations—for visitors, and for cars that will warn each other in future of hazards,” says Vodafone Deutschland CEO Hannes Ametsreiter.

“As one of the central drivers of digitalization in Germany, we are proud to be providing a cutting-edge 5G network for Messe München and IAA MOBILITY,” says Markus Haas, CEO of Telefónica Deutschland / O2. “Based on our network infrastructure, the exhibitors at the new IAA MOBILITY will be presenting what the mobile 5G standard is capable of in vehicle production, connected driving, and onboard entertainment. Messe München will also continue to be a showcase for innovations after IAA MOBILITY, and highlight the benefits of 5G for leading industries.”