The new centre is in the state capital of Saxony, in eastern Germany, and is intended to serve “the world”.
Vodafone says it will research the latest mobile applications for 5G such as smart mobility, smart farming, smart chemistry, smart buildings and Open Ran for 6G.
The centre will generate more than 200 highly qualified jobs over the next few years according to the Vodafone Group in R&D.
In January 2021, Vodafone Group launched an international competition in which eight European cities, selected in advance, could apply to host the centre.
Commitment to the industrial heart
Vodafone says the decision is “another strong commitment to the industrial location in the heart of Europe”: many observers will see it as confirmation of the ‘Germanification’ of the Group.
The CEO of Vodafone Germany, Hannes Ametsreiter, said, “With the establishment of the Vodafone Chair in 1994, we laid the basis for many important innovations in telecommunications.
“In 2020, as Vodafone, we brought 5G to Germany for the first time. And from 2021 we now want to develop 6G in Dresden from Germany for the world. Our signal for this country: The future of digitization is being devised in Germany.”
MINT conditions
Dirk Hilbert, Lord Mayor of Dresden, said, “The interaction of numerous companies, institutes and startups makes Dresden one of the leading high-tech locations in Europe. Vodafone’s decision underlines this twice again…Our excellent universities train talented people in demand around the world, especially in the MINT [mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology] subjects, who now have another very attractive opportunity on site.
“At the same time, the innovation center will attract many international researchers who enrich our city. “