Ericsson Ups the Ante for Industrial Connectivity

March 28, 2019

In line with the FCC’s efforts to launch the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, Ericsson has launched Ericsson Industry Connect, which offers dedicated cellular networks at factories and warehouses starting with 4G/LTE, with a clear path to 5G. The offering strengthens Ericsson’s private networks and IoT portfolios by making 4G and 5G technologies accessible to new industrial markets.

Pierce Owen, principal analyst, ABI Research, said, “The technology case for private LTE has existed for some time now, but with Industry Connect, Ericsson has productized that technology in a way that empowers implementers and operators to deliver the benefits of private LTE to factories and warehouses with a real business case.”

Purpose-built for industrial environments such as factories and warehouses, the dedicated cellular connectivity solution enables secure, reliable coverage with high device density and predictable latency. Swedish provider of transport solutions, Scania has already implemented Ericsson Industry Connect in its smart production lab in Södertälje, Sweden.

Roger Hartonen, senior manager industrial IT, Scania Group, said, “High quality, fast, and secure connectivity of our industrial environment is now an absolute must for us. Ericsson Industry Connect gives us reliable wireless connectivity which will enable flexibility for us on the factory floor. At Scania, we are driving the shift toward sustainable transport by continuously innovating our manufacturing processes”

With a network management experience designed to be easy to use and manage for information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) professionals, the solution aims to make cellular technology rapidly deployable for factory and warehouse staff.

With industrial-grade wireless connectivity, Ericsson Industry Connect can enable innovative Industry 4.0 use cases such as: digital twin inspection (a real-time digital replica of a physical entity) with massive amounts of sensors; mobility for human machine interface (HMI) instructions for workers; collision avoidance and remote control for autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs); and collaborative robotics for automated operations.