Kelly Burroughs, Solutions Director-Enterprise, iBwave writes about the advantages Private 5G brings to industrial environments
Walk into a modern-day manufacturing facility, and it’s a symphony of IoT technologies—autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), machinery, and sensors—all working in harmony to drive automation, safety and efficiency across the facility floor.
Beneath the layers of IoT technologies, Private 5G is emerging as the symphony conductor, enabling these innovative technologies requiring low-latency, high-capacity, reliable wireless to perform seamlessly. Unlike traditional wireless options such as Wi-Fi or public LTE/5G, which often struggle to meet the connectivity demands of an industrial setting, private 5G gives manufacturers exactly what they need—the control and flexibility to shape connectivity solutions that meet their performance and operational needs.
With its scalability, robust security, and guaranteed performance, Private 5G is the ultimate connectivity solution for the dynamic and challenging environments of modern manufacturing.
However, having an ultimate connectivity solution in Private 5G is one thing—realising the total ROI depends on much more than just deploying the network. It also requires strategic planning to optimise the network’s design, performance and scalability. When a Private 5G network is designed thoughtfully and with precision, not only will it support the demands put on it by today’s technologies, but it will scale with tomorrow, providing manufacturers with a wireless foundation that grows smarter, faster, and more connected over time.
Network deployment challenges
In sprawling and complex manufacturing environments, where thousands of IoT devices and mission-critical applications operate side-by-side, seamless connectivity across the facility is crucial to operational success. However, seamless, robust connectivity across a complex venue full of physical obstructions and interference can only be possible with the right tools to simulate wireless coverage and performance in the environment ahead of deployment.
Plan and design the network correctly, and you’ll have a high-performance Private 5G network that delivers flawless connectivity and drives operational success. Plan and design the network incorrectly; you’ve got an expensive lesson in just how critical network design is in these environments.
A good example was a private 5G network deployed at a new electric (EV) factory for a Fortune 100 car manufacturer. The facility was enormous, and inside was a highly complex setting to design a network for. The project’s key focus was AMRs and their crucial role in transporting materials, coordinating with other machines, and interacting with production systems.
Each AMR relies on real-time communication to navigate, avoid collisions, and perform tasks—which is not so simple to achieve in a congested environment full of other machines, sensors, cameras, and devices depending on the Private 5G network. With all the AMRs, machines, devices, and sensors operating simultaneously near one another, the network must handle significant amounts of data without bottlenecks or delays.
Another major challenge in this project was the presence of physical obstructions and interference. Manufacturing plants, especially those focused on heavy industries like automotive production, are full of large metal structures, in-motion machinery, metal, and thick walls that can weaken or block wireless signals. Traditional networks often suffer from dead zones or inconsistent coverage in complex environments like a car manufacturing plant, leading to communication breakdowns and expensive operational delays.
Enter accurate network planning and design.
Network planning solutions
For private 5G to deliver robust and reliable connectivity it’s capable of, detailed network planning and coverage simulations are critical. Advanced network design tools enable engineers to model and accurately simulate how wireless signals interact within an environment.
In the car manufacturing facility project discussed earlier, engineers used a design tool to test different placements of radios and antennas across the facility floor and then simulated and visualised in 3D exactly how the network would perform once deployed. By doing this, they could observe the factors affecting signal quality and run multiple iterations to assess the right design to deliver the needed performance KPIs.
Engineers could also assess the network performance under various load scenarios, preparing them for peak usage times when many devices would be active simultaneously. This type of strategic scenario planning is critical for industrial settings, where even minor connectivity issues can lead to expensive downtime or inefficiencies.
Planning, designing and simulating a network’s performance before it’s deployed is a pre-emptive approach to minimising potential connectivity disruptions and ensuring that the Private 5G network will work as it’s intended to work from day one.
In the case of the car manufacturing plant project, the strategic planning and design of the network resulted in a Private 5G network capable of supporting the facility’s immediate operational needs and accommodating the addition of new devices and technologies over time.
Scaling the benefits of Private 5G
The value and impact Private 5G is delivering to the manufacturing industry is just the beginning—its potential extends far beyond the factory floor. Many other industries, including logistics, defence, transportation, healthcare, and mining, want to leverage new IoT mission-critical applications and devices that drive automation, worker safety, and operational efficiencies. However, they also operate in complex environments with similar connectivity challenges.
With low latency, enhanced security, and five nines reliability, Private 5G is opening doors for these other industries to evolve in leaps and bounds as well. Ports, airports, and distribution centres can benefit from private 5G’s ability to handle many devices to support real-time tracking and seamless operations. Drones, remote sensors, and field communications will now have the reliable connectivity they need to unlock their value. Other industries like logistics and supply chain management will have the Private 5G connectivity reliability they need to integrate IoT devices and analytics platforms, optimise the traffic flow of goods, minimise downtime, and improve transparency throughout the production cycle.
These are just a few examples of how Private 5G is used across these industries.
The true power of private 5G lies in its potential to revolutionise industrial connectivity. As the journey towards widespread adoption continues, the value will only grow more impactful and visible across various industries. But it’s important to remember that the success of private 5G doesn’t rest on deployment alone; it is rooted in the strategic planning and design done before a single radio is installed.
To unlock the full performance and capabilities that private 5G can deliver for any industry or setting, leveraging advanced design tools to accurately model and simulate the networks before deployment is just as critical as the radios and equipment themselves. By intentionally planning, designing and documenting their private 5G networks, enterprises will position themselves to be successful with today’s technologies and scale and thrive in tomorrow’s increasingly connected and automated world.
Kelly Burroughs has spent the past nine years in the wireless industry, holding leadership roles across market strategy, product , and marketing. With knowledge and interest in enterprise technologies, including private networks, Wi-Fi, and IoT, she is passionate about driving innovation and helping to deliver impactful solutions that add real value to the market. Kelly is especially interested in the future of wireless technology, contributing to forward-thinking discussions whenever she can. She’s also known for her contribution of bad wireless jokes that make even the most seasoned of wireless professionals roll their eyes.
Author: Kelly Burroughs, Solutions Director-Enterprise, iBwave
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