When Apple released its first iPhone with 5G capability simultaneously hyped by AT&T, consumer pundits swooned hoping for ultra fast speeds and capabilities on their new phones. That didn’t happen. Even now, not so much. I wrote to one prominent Apple pundit to point out that much of the benefits of 5G had little to do with his iPhone. Here is a brief story foreshadowing 5G benefits for manufacturing and production from Nokia.
- Private 5G wireless network supports industrial connectivity at the production development center and pilot hall at Volkswagen’s headquarters plant in Wolfsburg
- Network uses Nokia Digital Automation Cloud solution for reliable, private wireless connectivity
- High-bandwidth and low-latency enable real-time data processing at network edge allowing Volkswagen to investigate new operational use cases
Nokia has deployed a private 5G standalone wireless network for Volkswagen at the car maker’s main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. The private campus network uses the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) solution to provide reliable, secure, real-time connectivity and enable Volkswagen to trial new smart factory use cases.
The industrial-grade private 5G wireless network covers the production development center and pilot hall at the Wolfsburg plant. With the pilot project, Volkswagen will test whether the 5G technology meets the demanding requirements of vehicle production with the goal to increase efficiency and flexibility in series production of the future.
Deployment of Nokia DAC offers reliable high-bandwidth and low-latency connectivity for sensors, machines, vehicles and other equipment. Initial use cases that are being tested include wireless upload of data to manufactured vehicles and intelligent networking of robots and wireless assembly tools. The deployment also ensures that all data remains on the campus, processed at the network edge in real time, giving Volkswagen full control. The network is operating in the dedicated 3.7-3.8 GHz band for local private wireless networks, that Volkswagen applied for and was allocated by the Federal Network Agency.
Dr.-Ing. Klaus-Dieter Tuchs, network planning at Volkswagen, said: “Predictable wireless performance and the real-time capabilities of 5G have great potential for smart factories in the not-so-distant future. With this pilot deployment, we are exploring the possibilities 5G has to offer and are building our expertise in operating and using 5G technology in an industrial context.”
Chris Johnson, Head of Global Enterprise business for Nokia, said: “Nokia is a worldwide leader in private wireless technology for Industry 4.0 digital transformation proven by over 380 large enterprise customer deployments, of which more than 75 incorporate 5G. By deploying private wireless to explore and develop its potential in manufacturing, Volkswagen underscores its leading position in leveraging digitalization to enhance efficiency and productivity. We are delighted to support this effort with the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud and our extensive experience in private wireless networks.”
