5G INDUSTRIAL: IS IT TOO BIG, TOO EXPENSIVE, TOO COMPLICATED?

In use in the USA since 2020, industrial 5G meets the wireless connectivity needs of businesses. Using technologies employed by major telecom operators for private needs, does this make sense?

5G offers companies the opportunity to connect their equipment and/or employees on a factory or warehouse scale, thanks to a private infrastructure.Can we imagine a secure, watertight bubble protected from outside interference by a frequency band a frequency band dedicated to its site? 

Today, on certain sites dedicated to car manufacturing machines, robots and sensors, as well as operators are connected to a private 5G network. Thanks to this ultra-fast connectivity, data is transmitted in real time, enabling instant monitoring and control. For example, a robot detects an anomaly in a room and immediately sends an alert. Armed with this information, another robot or a Technician immediately intervenes to correct the problem without delay.

This technology can be deployed in a wide range of use cases, commonly referred to as “Industry 4.0”. Despite its potential, it still raises a few eyebrows. “Too big”, ‘too expensive’, ‘too complicated’, not for me’ […] are the most common reactions. So let’s demystify the beast.

“INDUSTRIAL 5G IS TOO BIG!”

From the outset, telecom operators have seized on 5G to dress up their image as an innovative ever-younger image, peddling the idea that this new superlative technology would revolutionize everyday life for the general public. Above all, they instilled the idea that 5G was a complex technology that could only be mastered by national telecoms network operators, the only ones network operators, the only ones capable of shaping it.

And yet, while 5G technology is the same in both cases (based on the 3GPP[1] standard), the network of an operator operator’s network, which manages millions of connections has nothing in common with a private corporate network that manages just a few hundred or thousands of connected objects. For a company, a 5G network is no more imposing than a supercharged wi-fi network. Imagine installing an overpowered wi-fi network that covers an entire factory or campus, with far greater range and reliability. Now that’s industrial 5G. If we open the hood, a 5G network is made up of different elements:

The network core

This runs on servers. It’s the central element orchestrates all data traffic.

It manages signaling, subscriber management implementation of network policies. If the network is private, the core network can be deployed on site for security and performance reasons, or in the cloud for greater flexibility and ease of Management.

Antennas and base stations

Unlike the large cellular towers we see seen in public networks, small base stations can be base stations can be installed both inside and outside buildings. They provide dense, localized coverage , essential for industrial environments such as factories and warehouses. These antennas can be placed on walls, ceilings or specific structures to maximize coverage and minimize dead zones.

Terminals 

These are the devices connected to the private 5G network. This includes a variety of equipment such as smartphones, tablets, IoT sensors, autonomous robots and industrial machines.

Each device is equipped with a 5G module to connect network. In an industrial context autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), drones and surveillance equipment, communicating in real time thanks to 5G. Firecell and its partner Unitel have equipped Volkswagen van (the Mystery Machine electric version) to showcase the compactness of the equipment, while demonstrating the performance of the technology. The experiment convinced all those who took part. 

“INDUSTRIAL 5G, IT’S TOO COMPLEX!”

Have you ever tried to assemble a piece of Ikea furniture without instructions? Deploying 5G can seem just as confusing. The prospect of setting up network can seem daunting and complex. Yet it’s no more complicated than managing a local network. Private 5G can be seen as a wireless extension of a local network. It is based on Internet Protocol (IP) technologies with which information systems (IS) specialists are already familiar already know. In other words, if you’re capable of operating a wi-fi network, you already have the skills to manage a private 5G network.

This management can be simplified by providing, IS members with an intuitive web interface. This makes it easy to control the company’s 5G network, provision (i.e., configure and deploy) SIM cards, administer access by opening or closing rights, and be alerted in the event of a problem. This triggers rapid and effective intervention to resolve malfunctions.

In short, although the rollout of 5G may seem complex at first glance, with the right tools and a user-friendly interface, it becomes accessible and manageable for IT teams, even without specific 5G expertise.

“INDUSTRIAL 5G IS TOO EXPENSIVE!”

Many customers are afraid of the cost of a Private 5G network. Let’s take a look at a concrete example a concrete example of the costs of installation, management and maintenance costs. Let’s take, for example, an 18,000 m2 warehouse and compare the total cost of ownership (TCO) over three years, of a private 5G network with that of a wi-fi network. The cost differences are essentially due to three factors: B a private 5G network requires 5 to 20 times fewer 5G terminals than wi-fi terminals. This means 5 times less cabling and installation costs than for a wi-fi network;

• 5G base stations, equivalent to wi-fi hotspots, are currently wi-fi terminals, are currently around 10 times more expensive than wi-fi access points. Their cost is set to fall to fall by a factor of 2 each year as deployment volumes increasing volumes deployed;

• maintenance of a 5G network is more expensive than that of a wi-fi network.

Still convinced it s a luxury? Keep in mind that this is a strategic infrastructure that will enable companies to connect their production tools and deploy operational innovations operational innovations, increasing efficiency over the next five to ten years.

We have measured the return on investment with users who are already active. Here are a few examples:

• Logistics companies had reported the frustration of their forklift drivers, who were losing up to 30 minutes a day to connect their barcode scanner to the wi-fi network when scanning when scanning a pallet, bin or product.

For a warehouse employing ten forklift operators, this represents a loss of 112 working hours each month, at a cost of €1,350. This use case alone brings us close to a return on investment in one month; – in factories, mobile robots connected by wi-fi-connected mobile robots could stop in the middle of warehouses, production stoppages of around 30 minutes a day.

Deploying a 5G network therefore represents a gain of 300 hours every month for a single robot working 20 hours a day, 7 days a week;

• the very low connectivity latency offered by the 5G network has enabled mobile robots in automated warehouses twice as fast. This increased doubled the quantity of materials handled. 

“INDUSTRIAL 5G, IS NOT FOR ME!”

Another myth. Private 5G is not reserved for industry behemoths. Even an SME can benefit from it. Whether to connect operators, IoT applications, autonomous robots or or surveillance cameras, 5G offers flexibility and reliability that small and medium-sized small and medium-sized

businesses can exploit to gain Competitiveness.

1. Connect your operators 

SMEs can provide their employees with a 5G terminal empower them to communicate photos or videos to their manager, connect to various software applications (WMS or ERP), anywhere, to streamline operational

management. 

2. Internet of Things (IoT)

5G makes it possible to connect a large number of IoT devices with very low latency, which is crucial for applications that require real-time

real-time communication. For example, a fleet management company can use 5G to track and optimize the movements of its vehicles in real time.

3. Autonomous robots

SMEs in the logistics or manufacturing sector can use autonomous robots equipped with 5G to improve their operational efficiency. These robots can perform tasks autonomously, while remaining connected to the

network for instant updates and/or real-time Monitoring.

4. Surveillance cameras

5G surveillance cameras can be de-flexible without the need to run kilometers of cable on buildings, or on the perimeter of-periphery of storage areas that are difficult and costly to secure.

5. Augmented reality 

Augmented reality applications, which require bandwidth and low latency, can transform training and technical support. Thanks to an augmented reality headset a technician can receive real-time instructions while repairing complex equipment.

In short, 5G offers a multitude of possibilities for SMEs, enabling them to remain competitive and take advantage of advanced technologies without having to make huge investments, comparable those of large industrial companies. Private 5G, far from being a gimmick for large companies, is a technology that is accessible and beneficial to organizations of all sizes. By offering significant advantages in terms of performance, security and flexibility, it is a major asset for the industry of the future and the deployment of digital innovations.

In conclusion, private 5G is not an insurmountable mountain, but a powerful tool which, if properly understood and used, can transform a company. On your antennas, get set, go!

Is the CIO competent to deploy and manage a private 5G network on site?

THE ANSWER IS YES.

A private 5G network should be seen as a wireless extension of the company’s local area network (LAN). The technologies used are IP protocols perfectly mastered perfectly mastered by all the teams in charge information systems (IS). In short it’s like going from managing a camper van to a school bus: it’s a little bigger, but the driving principles remain the same.Managing a private 5G network does not require fundamentally different from those required for a such as router configuration, IP address management IP address management and network unchanged. For information system and technical teams, it’s more a question of adapting than learning from scratch. Numerous training courses and certifications are available are available to familiarize you with the specifics of 5G, and suppliers of 5G solutions offer technical support and learning resources to help facilitate this transition.

For example, they offer network supervision and management network monitoring and management IT teams to visualize view network status in real time, diagnose problems and deploy updates without the need for extensive intensive additional training. Thanks to initial training and ongoing support, the CIO and his team quickly become quickly become proficient in managing new infrastructure. In short, with the right tools, a little training and supplier support, CIOs are perfectly capable of managing- manage a private 5G network.