Deutsche Messe AG becomes a partner in the Test Field Lower Saxony consortium with the 5G exhibition center. This makes it part of a group consisting of the federal state of Lower Saxony, companies from Lower Saxony and research institutions that are working closely together and with joint financing to set up a test field in Lower Saxony. The goal: to test advanced driver assistance functions as well as automated and networked mobility in practice.

Before the exhibition center can become a test track, it will soon be measured with high precision by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). SMEV AG will then be the first 5G smart venue customer to test various scenarios with autonomous emergency vehicles under 5G conditions.

"Our mobility is changing at an enormous speed. This is particularly true for Lower Saxony as a car state. In order to be able to sufficiently test series-ready products before they are launched on the market, many different routes and scenarios are required. As a partner in the Test Field Lower Saxony consortium, our 5G exhibition center can make an important contribution to the mobility of tomorrow, because 1.5 million square meters of space offer different test environments and enable scenarios that do not yet work or are not permitted on public roads," said Dr. Jochen Köckler, chairman of the board of management of Deutsche Messe AG.

Marcus Eibach, senior vice president at Deutsche Messe AG and responsible for the 5GSmart Venue project at Deutsche Messe added, "The integration of the exhibition center into the 'Lower Saxony Test Field Consortium' opens up new cooperation opportunities for both sides. We are thus casting a major spotlight on the innovative strength of Lower Saxony and also continuing to write the history of the exhibition center as a multifunctional innovation campus."

Lower Saxony's State Secretary for Digitalization, Stefan Muhle, said: "Tomorrow's mobility is inconceivable without digitalization: Whether automated and connected driving, security and surveillance systems or digital parking management – Lower Saxony will offer even better conditions for testing and developing innovative mobility applications in the future thanks to the cooperation between the test field and the 5G exhibition center."

Katharina Seifert, director of the DLR Institute of Transportation Systems: "As the operator of the Lower Saxony test field, we attach great importance to a close partnership with the innovative companies on site. Only in this way can the test field become a vibrant place for research and product development. We are therefore very pleased to have Deutsche Messe as a partner, which adds a wide range of uses to our platform, such as the 5G network or the great flexibility for real-world use cases."

"SMEV stands for patented innovation technology 'Made in Germany'. We have the unique opportunity to develop this further as part of the 5G Smart Venue project and prepare it for real-world use. Deutsche Messe AG sets an example to make Germany the leading location for autonomous driving and offers the opportunity for start-ups and global players to collaborate. This is a decisive competitive advantage," commented Christian Rotthaus, chairman of the board of SMEV AG.

All partners of the Test Field Lower Saxony consortium are the German Aerospace Center e. V. (DLR), the state of Lower Saxony represented by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics, Labor, Transport and Digitalization, ADAC Niedersachsen/Sachsen-Anhalt e.V., Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG, IAV GmbH, NORDSYS GmbH, Oecon Products & Services GmbH, Siemens AG, Volkswagen AG and Wolfsburg AG.