Media Magazine: IMDEA Networks' Broad Media Impact

IMDEA Networks, a reference research center for innovation in communications networks, has achieved a regular media presence in recent years, appearing in major national newspapers and television channels, as well as international media. In the last month, some of the institute's activities have attracted substantial coverage.

11 December 2019

IMDEA Networks, a reference research center for innovation in communications networks, has achieved a regular media presence in recent years, appearing in major national newspapers and television channels, as well as international media. In the last month, some of the institute’s activities have attracted substantial coverage.

On 27th November, 5TONIC, the open research and innovation laboratory on 5G technologies founded by Telefónica and IMDEA Networks, along with SAMUR-PC and the Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M), presented an innovative system for managing emergency situations based on 5G. The system was developed within the framework of the European innovation project 5G-TRANSFORMER.

The demo showed a 100% automatic 5G system that can lead to a reduction in response times and minimization of errors, which results in improved survival rates in emergency situations. In addition, it makes it possible for the attention to be personalized, given that a doctor, using 5G augmented reality glasses, can visualize the patient’s medical data, such as vital signs or the values of a blood test.

This socially significant event had tremendous impact in Spanish newspapers such as La Vanguardia, the Europa Press news agency and in specialized telecommunications media such as Total Telecom and Telecompaper. Telemadrid, the regional channel that broadcasts in the Community of Madrid, echoed this interest in its news bulletins. Local digital newspapers such as Leganews, Noticias para Municipios and Fuenlabrada Noticias also described this revolutionary system.

Furthermore, IMDEA Networks has recently appeared in a Spanish television report made by RTVE’s Lab 24 science and technology program. The show explores with some of our researchers what the Internet will look like in the 21st century. It shows how 5G technology will revolutionize the network of networks with new possibilities in the field of health, the economy and entertainment. In the future, devices will communicate with each other and there will even be more secure databases.

Arturo Azcorra, Director of IMDEA Networks, was also interviewed by the ABC Empresa supplement about how the advent of 5G will affect the economy and jobs. “We need to create a new economy to mitigate 5G’s destruction of jobs, with a training plan to re-skill the workforce from all the sectors affected by this change. Similar situations have arisen in the past, and we have to ensure that 5G acts as a tremendous boost to Spain and that the country doesn’t miss the train”, explains the professor of the Carlos III University of Madrid.

Azcorra also gives his opinion in El País in a report on the vulnerabilities that 5G has inherited from previous generations. In the opinion of the researcher, no technology is faultless and 5G is like any other tool: it allows you to do many things as long as you use it well. Any technology presents opportunities and, according to him, it is up to users to know where to put their limits in order to protect their identity and integrity. “This is the first time that security has been incorporated as the main criterion whereas before [from 1G to 4G] it was only an added feature”, he argues.