How to redefine secure on-site connectivity with a private network
Head of Dedicated Networks
Head of Dedicated Networks
Head of Dedicated Networks
As industries accelerate the digital transformation of their business process operations to stay ahead of the competition and keep up with customer demand, reliable and secure wireless connectivity is a business requirement. In the shift from wired or tethered technologies, wireless cellular private networks are making their mark.
Ericsson recently launched Ericsson Private 5G, a secure private network product that helps communications service providers worldwide tap a 2024 predicted global industrial enterprise market of USD 5.9 billion. That estimate by ABI Research reflects the rapidly growing demand for secure on-site 5G mobile connectivity solutions. Ericsson also has an extensive Industry 4.0 partner ecosystem to complete the end-to-end solution and help service providers impact the enterprise market.
Ericsson Private 5G optimizes and simplifies business operations with cloud-based network management, keeping sensitive data on-premise, with zero downtime upgrades, and guarantees high performance through Service-Level Agreements (SLAs). It allows enterprises to connect and use their data to the applications and environments of their choice.
Building on Ericsson's leading technology and gaining a business edge
Business operations, devices, and applications are easily integrated with Ericsson Private 5G. The product enables numerous use cases for both indoor and outdoor environments. For example, asset tracking and real-time automation improve productivity in warehouses with digital twins that help optimize manufacturing operations. In addition, efficient quality inspections can be performed via augmented reality or smart surveillance drones to increase worker safety, particularly in potentially hazardous environments.
As a result, companies can improve productivity, gain new revenue streams, give their customers more value, and provide better working environments for employees.
Complete wireless flexibility for industries
With today's fluctuating global supply and demand market, not to mention the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, flexible and scalable connectivity solutions are essential. Ericsson Private 5G is easily installed within hours at any facility and can be scaled to support larger coverage areas, more devices, and higher capacity when needed. The product is designed to be flexible and will support a range of deployment sizes, depending on requirements, to suit varied needs. Businesses can manage their networks and integrate with IT/OT systems via an open API. Software upgrades are automated and managed from the cloud. As a result, a company can optimize operations and become truly flexible.
Peter Burman, Program Manager Mine Automation, Boliden, says: "Automation, and safety through automation, in our mining operations is an absolute must for us. Ericsson Private 5G is exactly what Boliden needs to bring high quality, fast, and secure connectivity into potentially hazardous environments allowing us to mobilize efficiency and safety improving use cases."
"This technology gives us the possibility to connect our machines wirelessly instead of the traditional way with cables. The really exciting use cases will come when we can make use of low latency. The case that wraps it all together for us is, of course, security. We can all do this in a secure environment. I think that the factory of the future will be a lot more autonomous, automated and intelligent," says Wouter Ceulemans, President of the Airtec division, Atlas Copco.
Benefits and savings with private networks
With Ericsson's leadership and ecosystem of Industry 4.0 partners, we see how sectors benefit from a high-performance, secure, flexible private network.
- A manufacturer can benefit from reliability through automation, seamless connectivity of tools and machinery in a streamlined, wireless, connected factory with critical data protection. Service experts can support local inspectors remotely with augmented reality, reducing their travel-related CO2 impact by 50%. In addition, manufacturers can reduce the number of spare parts required by 10% with asset condition monitoring.
- A mining company can introduce proactive maintenance, monitoring, and control of machinery in the mining operation with drone inspections, remote-controlled drilling rigs, and real-time condition monitoring. A mining truck can also be automated. Smart mining can potentially save up to 1,000 lives and prevent 44,000 injuries over the next decade. In addition, remote-controlled drilling is faster than manual drilling, which increases productivity by 60%.
- An airport can ensure secure and seamless operations for a complete professional ecosystem across all indoor and outdoor spaces through one digitalized network. A complete smart airport implementation has <2 years payback and 4.8 M $ steady net value year 5.
- A port can utilize a robust network infrastructure to handle the large amounts of data generated by cranes, vehicles, equipment, and workers. Through automated and consistent movement patterns, ports can achieve a 20% reduction of maintenance. This also means less equipment damage. In addition, automated Guided Vehicles reduce energy costs by 10% due to optimized routes.
Private Networks are an integral part of our own manufacturing processes. Because they make us more competitive. We think many other companies have similar opportunities.