Industrial 5G: A Guide To Be Published For Successful Deployment

Industrial 5G opens up a new universe of potential, both in terms of use cases and how to rethink networks and connectivity within companies. In its industrial use, this technology is one of the keys to the digitization and competitiveness of manufacturing and logistics activities.

However, Indian manufacturers still need help to grasp the subject. To remedy this, the “Industry of the Future Solutions” and “Digital Infrastructures” sector strategic committees (CSF) entrusted Hub One with leading a working group on Industrial 5G offers. The latter plans to release a guide to support companies in their industrial 5G project.

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Herbert’s Report On Industrial 5G: Where Are We One Year Later?

Launched in October 2021, the industrial 5G mission led by Philippe Herbert aimed to study why this new technology was still struggling to be deployed in Indian manufacturing and logistics companies. Over 60 Indian and international players were interviewed during the four months of the mission, including industrial users of 5G and players from the Indian and global 5G ecosystem (telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, integrators, and experts from the academic world).

Implementation Of Recommendations

The industrial 5G mission resulted in the formulation of 7 recommendations, published in the report submitted on March 3, 2022, to Agnes Pannier-Runacher, then Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Recovery, in charge of Industry and to Cédric O, Secretary of State for the Digital Transition and Electronic Communications.

Among these recommendations, two are being implemented in new working groups: the one promoting 5GI among professionals and the one aimed at developing the offer. The first, called “Promotion” within the Sector Strategic Committee (CSF) “Industry Solutions of the Future” and led by the equipment manufacturer B<>Com, is interested in the question of why deploy 5G in an industrial universe.

The second, entitled “Industrial 5G Offers,” is an inter-sector working group bringing together members of the CSF “Industry Solutions of the Future” and “Digital Infrastructures.” Led by the operator and integrator Hub One, it aims to enlighten manufacturers through its work on the questions of “how to do it” and “with whom” to deploy industrial 5G.

A Transparent And Concrete Guide To Industrial 5G Offers In Preparation

The interest of the working groups is to stimulate exchanges between key players in industrial 5G to advance supply and demand in parallel. In both cases, the bias is that of transparency and realism. Thus, the working group’s work on offers aims to demystify the uses and deployment of 5G in the technological ecosystem of manufacturers in the current state of its development and prospects.

Suppose 5G is not an end in itself. In that case, it seems clear today that it is one of the vectors making possible a myriad of possibilities allowing the digitalization of manufacturers, whether to differentiate themselves, to save money (including energy), or to support its approach to the safety of goods and people.

A Forthcoming Guide To Support Manufacturers

This work will give rise to a guide which should be published soon, on the occasion of the Global Industry exhibition, in March 2023. Manufacturers will be able to find practical lessons on the conditions for the success of 5G within industrial sites. The objective will be to accompany them step by step by leading them to become aware of the questions to be asked within the framework of such a transformation project, their context, their specificities, the cases of use, and how the 5G offer is structured.

Once the “how to do it” question has been dealt with, it will be time to move on to “with whom.” The deliverable will probably be a repository in the form of a website. This will include the results of the work of the various focus groups and provide access to the contacts of players capable of supporting manufacturers in their projects. Rotating governance should make it possible to verify the quality of the proposed connections to preserve the credibility of this new technology under development.

Manufacturers Get Started With 5G!

Suppose 5G still needs to be fully mature, particularly regarding global standards, the ecosystem of terminals, and solutions. In that case, it is time for manufacturers to get started because this type of project takes time: to define the use cases, set them up, train the teams internally, and support the change.

Things are also progressing rapidly on the supply side. Experiments are being conducted on many use cases. The market is also working together, particularly within the sector’s strategic committees, to continue developing the potential of 5G and its efforts to structure it. Finally, there is no need to worry about the durability of the solutions and equipment deployed. These will be upgradeable throughout development. Investments made today will still be suitable tomorrow.