Futurelab | E-Book Innovation around mobile technology

WITH FUTURELAB
T-MOBILE EMBRACES
INNOVATION AROUND
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

CONTENTS
4.
“FAST
FORWARDING
PROGRESS”
8.
JAMMIN’ 5G:
NETWORK
TECHNOLOGY
AND MUSIC
14.
WHEN
TECHNOLOGY
LEADS TO
CARING
SOLUTIONS
18.
PROJECT
MARCH
WALKS ON
22.
TAPP.
ONLINE:
SMART PAPER
26.
FINDING
NEMO 5G
30.
READY, SET…
SCORE!
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“FAST
FORWARDING
PROGRESS”
Futurelab is doing well, with special, unique
collaborations, experiments, passion and above all:
results. We help the world little by little. That may sound
far-fetched, but we’ve accomplished a ton.
AT FUTURELAB WE DO
We live in a Do or Die world. At Futurelab we
choose to DO. We research, collect, analyze,
develop, learn and more importantly, we
connect. For example, we allow virtual
researchers to step on board of ships at sea,
to provide remote support. And through a
robot cam, we help connect people remotely
with the outside world via WiFi or 4 and 5G.
INNOVATION
Any idea that helps the world move forward,
connects people and has the potential of
becoming a new revenue model, is a good
idea. And it doesn’t have to stop there. We
work with companies, schools, universities
and government agencies. Mostly start-ups.
Innovation is about bringing two worlds
together so they can help each other. As a
major corporate player, T-Mobile deploys
market knowledge, resources, scale and
craftsmanship. And don’t forget our state
of the art (5G) network! The start-up in turn
provides a fresh mindset: speed, flexibility
and above all… the balls to go for it.
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CORPORATE JAMMING
Through jamming, both worlds work together.
They learn from each other and grow. Fast
forwarding progress, that’s our aim. T-Mobile
knows how to market products and services,
but is less suited to come up with those
innovative, unique ideas.
Start-ups have the most awesome ideas, yet
at the same time lack the size and distribution
to make an impact.
GROUNDS FOR FURTHER
DEVELOPMENT
Together we reinforce each other. How? It
starts by opening up the conversation about
the challenges you face. This way you focus
on specific questions: how do we use 5G to
develop our new business processes and
how does 5G help to make music together
remotely? Based on these challenges we
develop valuable applications. We utilize the
creativity of students and our own employees
to offer start-ups and entrepreneurs grounds
for further development of new, innovative
applications. T-Mobile knows the workings
of 5G better than anyone, and how to
scale new products and services towards
customers. With T-Mobile’s Futurelab we help
companies with the further understanding,
validation and exploration of their product.
With a deep understanding and hands on
experience of 5G connectivity, marketing,
design, communication/social, networking,
technical advice, business development,
prototyping and user validation.
T-MOBILE AND CSR
To fast forward progress in practical
applications and to help people with great
ideas on their way, T-Mobile offers manpower,
knowledge, customer surveys, distribution
and channels. T-Mobile’s CSR mission
‘Connect to Change’ fits in perfectly, blending
both social and sustainable components.
Activities that contribute to a climatefriendly
society, using technology to innovate
care and education. For example fighting
loneliness and social isolation: important
CSR pillars, highlighting Digital Inclusion in
particular.
Futurelab is committed to a society that
is inclusive. Read about Care-Riing and
Project MARCH to find out more.
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JAMMIN’ 5G:
NETWORK
TECHNOLOGY
AND MUSIC
When it comes to discovering
new possibilities and exploring
technology, Futurelab’s 5G Jam
Session experiment is one that
deserves special attention.
Making music together... remotely.
Futurelab pulled it off.
PEOPLE AT THE CENTER
Technology plays a vital role in our lives and
in the world around us. T-Mobile puts people
at the center of technological developments
that contribute to society and connectivity.
The leading 5G network, combined with
innovative technology, ensures unique
collaborations. The 5G Jam Session is the
perfect example: different artists jamming
together, live and remote, from various
locations. A worldwide premiere.
OPENING FUTURE DOORS
Music is highly dependent on timing. You
can’t have a drumbeat much faster than the
piano or it will drastically affect the piece.
Until now you had to be in the same room for
music to sound in sync. The mobile internet
and technology simply wasn’t ready to deliver
data in

THINKING AHEAD
Ultra-low latency and near real-time data
transfer ensures the right connection. So why
not plug the guitar into 5G and let the sound
reverberate from your phone? And it doesn’t
end there. Futurelab likes to think ahead,
because making music by yourself is one
thing, but how about an ensemble? Ewout
got together with our future BandJam.app,
resulting in the first ever live 5G jam session...
worldwide. Musicians and DJs; we can
connect them via 5G.
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THEN CAME THE VOICE
And from there it took off. A 5G concert
featuring The Voice candidates, playing
together with musicians all over the country:
5 different Dutch locations to be exact.
The iconic Afsluitdijk in the northern part,
the old medieval Amersfoort, The city of
Amsterdam, our T-Mobile office in The Hague
and a windmill by the beach in the south
west. Accompanied by our talented
The Voice candidates from Ahoy Rotterdam.
All these musicians were miles apart… yet
able to perform together live.
WHAT WE LEARNED…
A whole lot about latency. We got it
under 20 milliseconds roundtrip. The
fluctuations in latency are still huge,
difficult to manage, and different per cell.
The dataload, sending several HD video
streams together with the music and
regular usage data, did not cause any
issues. The 5G network handled it like
a champ.
Singing is extremely latency dependent
due to a late pitch-shift response caused
by the resonation of your skull (total of
3 milliseconds delay). Perfect in sync
vocals are not yet viable via any network.
Concerts, festivals, jam sessions, music
lessons, ballet, opera… why not? The
future is here. And the future is inclusive.
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WHEN
TECHNOLOGY
LEADS TO CARING
SOLUTIONS
Some will say technology appears rational and distant. But our future
Care-Riing proves that the opposite is true, by developing solutions
that warm the heart and are practical too.
ALZHEIMER DEMENTIA
It’s common practice here in the Netherlands
for older family members to be taken care
of in nursing homes. Specifically people
suffering from Alzheimer dementia are often
in need of specialized care. Research shows
that people with dementia can feel safe or
comforted by hearing the voice of a loved
one. Unfortunately this is something involved
family members can’t always provide for.
SPEECH TECHNOLOGY
Care-Riing founder Jelle Hylarides
personally faced this difficult challenge: he
did not always have the time to visit or call
his mother, when she was feeling lonely or
distressed. Jelle started thinking of ways to
fulfill this need and took an old bakelite phone
to explore the possibilities of an answering
machine.
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OLD TECHNOLOGY IS OF VALUE
Answering machines or voicemails are
considered ‘old technology’ these days. Yet
it is of great value. Think of those moments
when your parents go to bed. Now think
of your parents having dementia going to
bed: feeling anxious, scared even. Maybe
the bed feels ‘unfamiliar’. Or they might feel
alone because no one dear to them is in their
presence. Something simple as going to bed
can become a stressful event. Suddenly ‘old’
technology is of value. A familiar voice can
reduce anxiety and listening to a ‘voicemail’
message can help people rest.
THE RIGHT RECORDING AT THE
RIGHT TIME
After that initial voicemail, he took it even
further. He implemented new intelligent
technology and Care-Riing was born. The
conversation starts when the person dials
your personal Care-Riing phone number.
No need for an internet connection or
computer. The (retro) phone shows photo
thumbnails and simplifies making a call.
Speech technology is all around us: from
Siri to Google home. Care-Riing is basically
a smart interactive answering machine.
It contains pre-recorded sentences from
family members, like memories or answers to
questions. But by using speech recognition
and algorithms, the smart machine will play
the right recording at the right time. This
results in a simulated, yet personal telephone
conversation.
INNOVATION FOR SOCIETY
The algorithms used by Care-Riing were
relatively crude at first. But, as we speak,
several improvements are in the pipeline.
Care-Riing is a fine example of how
technology can contribute to society. It
originated from a touching story we can all
relate to. After Jelle had won the T-Mobile
B2B theme day event Best Connectathon
start-up Concept, Futurelab supported
Care-Riing in both marketing and video
production, sharing the story with a greater
audience. T-Mobile not only connects millions
of Dutch people daily via its network, but also
uses its network and technological expertise
for the benefit of society.
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PROJECT
MARCH
WALKS ON
Project MARCH consists of a (dream)
team of 26 dedicated TU Delft
students, committed to helping
people with a spinal cord injury through
user-friendly technology. A fine
example of CSR pillars Diversity and
Inclusion and Innovation for Society.
ROBOTIC HARNESS
Project MARCH develops a new exoskeleton
each year. An exoskeleton is a motorized
robotic harness. The exoskeleton enables
people with paraplegia to stand up and
walk again. Each year they fully commit
themselves to finding a solution to include
those with spinal cord injury and stimulate
the overall technological innovation of
exoskeletons.
IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE
With the development of an exoskeleton,
Project MARCH hopes to improve the
quality of life and contribute to freedom
of movement. Naturally, this has practical
benefits. The person wearing the suit
can stand up and go wherever they want.
Moreover, they can speak with their friends
and family on eye level. This is often
experienced as something of great emotional
value. Diversity and Inclusion and Innovation
for Society at its best.
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PHYSICAL BENEFITS
Walking in an exoskeleton also has physical
benefits. The blood flow in the legs improves
significantly. The bones and muscles also
grow stronger, which leads to a better
overall physical condition. The chances of
thrombosis or pressure ulcers diminish.
Finally, the bowel function improves. All
of these physical benefits are unique for
training in an exoskeleton.
FIRST STEPS IN UNCONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT
The first skeleton is now functional through a mobile connection and is able to walk in an
uncontrolled environment. In fact, in the Summer of 2021 it walked a challenging route
outside, with a pilot. It went through the beautiful city of Delft and its many obstacles during:
‘MARCH through Delft: The Reveal’.
MOTOR SKILLS COME FIRST
Project MARCH focuses on the development
and not on the commercial part of building
an exoskeleton. This enables them to fixate
on user friendliness and fine motor skills for
daily usage. So this is where we come in and
provide support. Futurelab not only assists
Project MARCH with technical advice on
connectivity, but we also introduced the team
to business partners and lend a hand in the
field of marketing and communication.
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TAPP.
ONLINE:
SMART
PAPER
Ask yourself: what if we could make paper intelligent? Nope, not a line
from the Men in Black movies. In fact, it’s very real today. Niels Postma
developed a way to enable packaging to communicate digitally. His
startup from Joure is able to generate actual data from paper.
SALT ‘N… PAPER?
Paper has been a means of communication for
ages. But let’s face it. A piece of paper doesn’t
exactly excite us anymore. Right? Wrong. Niels
came up with 100% recyclable smart paper
that measures, remembers and transmits
temperature data throughout the entire supply
chain by simply holding your smartphone next
to it. No additional hardware or apps needed.
WHEN SENSORS MAKE SENSE
All Tapp.online projects are characterized
by a smartphone-based/mobile-only
approach. By adding chips, sensors, and
printed batteries, Nield found a way to make
paper smart. Tapp.online is able to retrieve
data out of everything. Niels: “We basically
embed chips into paper. Therefore, we can
create data driven IoT packaging.” T-Mobile
is the connected partner for consumers and
businesses alike. We connect everything,
people to people, things to things, answers
to questions. From air pollution sensors in
buildings to garbage bins with sensors. But
paper was a first. And of course, we wanted
to be part of this and make a contribution to
help reduce waste.
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WE EMPOWER SUSTAINABLE
SOLUTIONS
Smart paper offers scalability, flexibility and
measurability and is the sustainable alternative
to traditional electronics. This paper is 100%
recyclable and contributes to a circular world
and future free of e-waste. At T-Mobile we
empower sustainable solutions. By using
environmentally friendly services, we make an
important contribution to the protection of
the environment and fight climate change.
From committing to 100% renewable energy
to working with suppliers and partners to
minimize new production and waste: every day,
we make the conscious decision to use
the latest technology that is of less harm to
the environment. And Tapp.online ‘taps’
right into that. So, we offered marketing and
website advice.
AMAZING ALTERNATIVE TO
TRADITIONAL CARRIERS
Tapp.online is doing well today. They came
up with TempSense paper that can measure,
remember, and present temperature to anyone
with a smartphone. In addition, they developed
ShockSense paper, which does exactly the
same, only now the paper measures shock
and slope. Paper is an amazing alternative
to traditional carriers of electronics such as
plastic and metal. Especially if the paper is
made from agricultural waste.
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FINDING
NEMO 5G
A large part of our economy takes place at sea.
You can imagine this involves quite a few challenges
when it comes to data and communication. With
5G at sea, not only do we tackle these challenges,
but we are contributing to reducing CO2 (carbon
dioxide) emissions.
RAPIDLY DIGITIZING SECTORS
The North Sea plays a major role in our
economy. Not only is it of great importance
to the entire maritime sector, but let’s not
forget the oil- and gas- or the generation of
wind energy industries. The importance of
mobile communication at sea is increasing.
T-Mobile successfully participated in the
auction of the 700MHz frequency band in the
North Sea area, providing for the expansion
of a nationwide 5G network on open water.
An important step for the rapidly digitizing
sectors in this area, such as the rescue
brigade, the coast guard and wind farms.
EXCITING STEPS
SimonRS made it possible for researchers to
virtually step on board and provide remote
support at sea. And they can carefully
monitor and ensure safety through live video
streams due to low latency. This is very
exciting. But as demand is expected to grow
further in the coming years, it is important
we keep operating as a climate neutral and
circular company. So how do we do that?
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LET’S TALK SUSTAINABILITY
AND CO2
With the arrival of 5G, smaller and even
self-propelled ships with smaller engines
can conduct environmental research
effortlessly, resulting in the reduction of CO2
emissions. Imagine zero-emission boats that
do not cause pollution and do not startle
marine animals because they sail silently.
All because of a stable and reliable data
connection. Sensory inputs from IoT sensors,
high bandwidth from the 5G network. It all
comes together. Every day, we’re becoming
stronger in making sustainability the lead in
the choices we make as a company. For more
information on 5G at Sea, visit: 5Gopzee.nl
At Futurelab we produced a beautiful video
on the topic, raising awareness and providing
opportunity for new collabs:
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READY, SET...
SCORE!
A collaboration between major players… literally. Futurelab,
OPPO, T-Mobile, FC Utrecht, Proxy42 Inc., RTL and Tangible
XR all joined forces and worked together on the launch of
World Soccer League E-Sports. A multi-player soccer game
combined with ultra-low latency and high bandwidth data.
Just another ‘typical’ 5G case we are very proud of. And a
fantastic example of what 5G and technology can pull off.
LIVE AT FC UTRECHT
The World Soccer League E-Sports event
took place on a Saturday in May of 2021.
A total of seven young players were invited
to come play at the FC Utrecht stadium.
Each participant received a magenta jersey,
after which the event kicked off with a private
FC Utrecht tour. Then it was time to start the
game and test it to the limit. Our partner in
The Netherlands, OPPO, provided all players
with the latest OPPO smartphones to play on.
The tournament was a huge success.
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20M players
$1.5B revenue
PC
$36.9Bn
+4.8% YoY
23%
48%
MOBILE
$77.2Bn
+13.3% YoY
CONSOLE
$45.2Bn
+6.8% YoY
28%
EVERY EMOTION CAPTURED LIVE
This game is extremely responsive and so
the latency and data connection are two
very important factors. The game is ruled by
the touch of your fingertips and what makes
it unique is that you’re able to watch your
fellow players - or actually, opponents - on
your screen, live and real-time. Every emotion
is captured through a livestream camera,
with thanks to augmented reality overlay.
Basically, you can see the pain in their eyes
when you score. And they can see you do a
happy dance…!
SOCIAL MEDIA HIT
2020 TOTAL
$159.3Bn
+9.3% YoY
For this game we recreated the FC Utrecht stadium, and all players
were granted an avatar. The kids had a great time and it was a blast to
experience their excitement when playing the game. On social media
our campaign, which focused on finding participants to play and
announcing the launch, received great attention: 43.000 TikTok likes
on the very first day, making it viral. We had to take down our call for
registration after only 48 hours.
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EWOUT
KAREL:
CONTACT
EWOUT.KAREL@T-MOBILE.NL
+31 6 479 002 19
FUTURELAB ONLINE
“Futurelab is now an established name
among start-ups. We selflessly look to see
where we can help. With this approach it
becomes a collaboration in craftsmanship,
knowledge and labor.
We learn together, we experiment
together. And we look ahead...”