Ericsson and Telia have set out to change manufacturing industry in Baltics with launch of enterprise 5G private network, Ericsson Private 5G. The private cellular network went live on 2 May 2023 at Ericsson’s Supply Site in Tallinn, Estonia, ushering in the new era of Industry 4.0 and driving efficiencies in productivity, agility and sustainability, and being the platform for improvement at the smart factory.
Through its predictable latency, security and speed, the 5G private network’s capabilities are enabling a variety of use cases such as asset condition monitoring and management, computer vision, digital twins, collaborative robotics, as well as new feature capabilities like 5G precise indoor positioning.
This latest development in the Ericsson and Telia collaboration is expected to have a significant impact, both locally and globally, on the Tallinn Supply Site and in the contribution to Estonia’s export market. The supply site in Tallinn plays a role in Ericsson’s global supply chain footprint, accounting for nearly half of the company’s New Product Introductions (NPIs). These NPIs involve extensive research and development (R&D) to ensure product relevance, competitiveness, and scalability, which are critical to ramp-up of new products.
The implementation of Ericsson Private 5G throughout the factory is reducing the dependency on wires dramatically to improve the agility of a production layout and design, while delivering greater mobility of impactful solutions like automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
Ericsson Private 5G is Ericsson’s private network solution providing secure 4G and 5G connectivity through its single server dual mode core. Built for business operations, the solution comes pre-integrated to ensure time to use and enabling advanced and intelligent operations in any environment. The product serves as a platform for innovation and Industry 4.0 allowing facilities to modernise ways of working.
According to Andre Visse, CTO of Telia Estonia, a partnership between Telia and Ericsson has been working for decades, and in the process, different generations of mobile networks have emerged in Estonia.
“In cooperation with Ericsson, we have always been the first to open new generation mobile networks in Estonia, from 1G to the latest 5G generation. We are very happy that we can now jointly contribute to the establishment of the first 5G private networks. Thanks to this, we can show business customers what advantages and opportunities technology can offer them in order to digitise their business processes even smarter, more efficiently and more securely. The introduction of new mobile communication technologies paves the way for the Industry 4.0 solutions, and helps us to create more environmentally friendly and sustainable future,” says Visse.
Sirli Manniksaar, country manager of Ericsson Estonia, says, “The implementation of Ericsson Private 5G at our Supply Site in Tallinn is a testament to our commitment to connected manufacturing and emerging data-driven technologies after all, in today’s highly competitive manufacturing environment, keeping up with the latest technological capabilities is essential to stay ahead of the curve. Our 5G private network enables advanced use cases such as real time video analytics, immersive technologies, digital twins, collaborative robotics and multiple mobile equipment tracking and control capabilities that empower our daily operations. As an adopter of advanced cellular technologies supporting Industry 4.0 implementations, Ericsson’s Supply Site in Tallinn is proud to play a key role in the industry’s continued growth and success, delivering new products and smart solutions to customers worldwide.”
The new network has already started having an impact at the supply site, elevating business-critical operations through automation, safety, and agility. In particular, it’s enabling the monitoring and management of numerous devices in a defined area, providing better coverage with less infrastructure and also ensuring seamless connectivity through an increase in wireless sensors on the shop floor.
With the worldwide private LTE/5G market projected to exceed USD 8.3 billion in revenue by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.7% from 2022-2026 according to IDC research, the partnership between Ericsson and Telia is also set to bring significant value to customers. By deploying advanced 5G private network technology, the duo are not only showcasing their technology leadership, but also creating ample opportunities to test new use cases and accelerate industry-wide adoption. Implementing this technology in a real-world scenario provides valuable practical insights on how to best implement and utilise 5G private networks.
In 2009, Ericsson began manufacturing in Estonia. Today, Ericsson’s Supply Site Tallinn employs smart manufacturing practices that use 5G technology to develop and produce 5G products and solutions for global distribution. The primary objective of this approach is to industrialise the Ericsson Radio Systems portfolio. Tallinn is responsible for developing and producing the latest and greatest products, which are delivered to customers worldwide.
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