Car manufacturers, oil companies and ports are planning to set up their own 5G network. In addition to more speed, the reliability of this type of wireless network is greater than that of wifi, according to MIT Technology review.
For example, the German car manufacturer Audi believes that a private 5G network offers opportunities to connect production robots and other devices faster and more securely. Much better than the existing Ethernet, WiFi or 4G LTE options. According to MIT Technology review, competitors such as BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen are also interested in managing their own 5G networks. In addition to chemical, gas, oil and utility companies.
It is expected that at 5G the data transmission will accelerate from about 30 milliseconds, to less than one millisecond. For example, devices that need direct connections to perform well can join a network to exchange data as part of the Internet of Things (IoT). It is also possible to pre-program mission-critical devices in such a way that they continue to work if the rest of the network is interrupted.
Options that the current 4G LTE network lacks, in addition to the fact that other forms of network such as Ethernet cables are also required and that wireless Wi-Fi is vulnerable to hackers. A manufacturer can currently manage its own LTE network, but is unable to arrange something like a factory robot, says Patrik Lundqvist, technical marketing director for chip manufacturer Qualcomm, who intends to sell chipsets and modems for use in private networks.
Factory of the future
Factories in particular would be more attractive to the future network: 5G private networks will keep Germany competitive in times of digitisation and enable the factory of the future. It will be very flexible and will support a high degree of customization, says Klaus Mittelbach, CEO of Zvei, a German trading group of electrical and electronics manufacturers. The CEO said that many German companies view technology as a way to maintain their leadership in advanced manufacturing, a national initiative often referred to as Industry 4.0.
According to him, the walls, the roof and the factory floor will probably be the only fixed components in the factory. This is because the modern factory will be equipped with numerous sensors, allowing employees to quickly stream value-added videos and equipment that can easily be moved to help managers experiment with different production methods and custom operations on demand.
Audi is a good example in this respect, as the car manufacturer now uses wifi in its production facilities and ethernet deployment to connect its robots. Audi prefers to disconnect his robots, but the wireless wifi network can’t handle the robot’s fast switching and real-time data streaming. Since August, the manufacturer has been testing 5G to control robots that glue cars together. The results so far have been very satisfactory, according to my own experience. Audi would therefore plan, within a few years, to use 5G in production facilities at its German headquarters and to extend it to other Audi Group plants.
Related: The future of 5G: where do we stand today?
This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.
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