Nokia Private Wireless Podcast Nokia

Early adopters of private wireless networks report strong performance on ROI and strategic benefits 
Many enterprises are aware of the potential advantages of deploying private wireless network solutions – but remain hesitant about pushing ahead with deployment. They feel they need more clarity around the business case, specifically with regard to the benefits that will be delivered, and the likely return on investment (ROI). 
Nokia, in conjunction with GlobalData, surveyed 79 industrial enterprises around the world in verticals including manufacturing, transportation, and energy. These companies have already either adopted private 4G or 5G, or are currently evaluating such a move. 
The results from this research should offer immense encouragement and reassurance to enterprises considering deploying private wireless and industrial edge.  
Majority of companies report a noticeable – and rapid – ROI  
More than half of the companies surveyed reported that they had seen their total cost of ownership (TCO) reduced by more than six per cent from an OpEx perspective. Indeed, almost one-third said the TCO had gone down by more than 10 per cent.  
It is particularly striking to note just how quickly that reduction in TCO was delivered. Almost 80 per cent of the enterprises surveyed saw a return on their investment within six months.  
The cost impact of moving to private wireless and industrial edge had been, not surprisingly, the principal concern that enterprises had. Many of the decision makers were particularly keen to avoid any CapEx, which in turn throws the onus on 4G/5G partners to offer flexibility in their terms.   
Most enterprises favor an end-to-end private wireless solution 
Private wireless networks are complex, and they can comprise a sizeable ecosystem of components, devices, and elements. Are most enterprises looking for basic connectivity, or do they require an end-to-end solution?  
While some enterprises are taking a modular approach and deploy one component at a time, most of the companies we surveyed prefer an end-to-end approach. This is because there would be fewer suppliers to manage, which would in turn lead to a lower TCO and faster ROI.  
One driver for smaller enterprises is the lack of in-house technical expertise to take on solution development and integration. The more piecemeal approach is compelling only with organizations that have large in-house development teams.  
Almost 80 per cent of enterprises we surveyed favored the end-to-end approach to drive specific business outcomes and reduce additional internal development cycles.  
This is useful information for Nokia, which sets out to simplify this complex process. By delivering all the ingredients for industrial digitalization in one platform, the process is streamlined – and the solution can interface more easily with legacy systems.  
Private wireless is delivering against other key drivers 
As well as the desire to reduce TCO and show a healthy ROI, early adopters of private wireless had other targets in mind. Strategic priorities included securing the IT environment, business continuity, streamlining business operations, and meeting ESG targets.  
However, the most important factor for most enterprises was worker safety. In manufacturing, transportation, and other industrial environments, this is a significant issue. Indeed, 95 per cent of the companies we spoke to named worker safety as a key or major factor in their decision to invest – and 61 per cent of them have seen an improvement of more than 10 per cent in worker safety.  
Close behind this issue was critical process reliability, which was a key or major factor for 94 per cent of our early adopters. An impressive 74 per cent reported internal material flow efficiencies. 
Other important considerations were the enhanced insights delivered by automated data collection, increased operational agility, the automation of time-cons

Is the manufacturing sector ready for private wireless networks?
Many companies across a variety of industries are now testing and validating private wireless technology through proof of concepts and field trials to understand its benefits.
Nokia, in conjunction with ABI Research, recently conducted a survey of more than 1,000 senior executives in organizations across manufacturing segments including automotive, machinery, metal fabrication, electronics, consumer goods, chemical and oil and gas. 
More than 90% said they were considering 4G/5G as part of their mission-critical, control, and communications network upgrades, while 38% said they would use 4G/5G as their primary technology supporting mission-critical operations.   
Is there widespread commercial deployment yet?
There is clearly considerable interest across many manufacturing sectors. As well as field trials, some manufacturers have driven ahead with commercial deployments. However, the adoption process is still at a very early stage. 
One reason is that manufacturers typically have a long factory asset lifecycle, which by definition makes the adoption of new technology a slow process. Also, manufacturers are under constant pressure to keep up with demand and production schedules. Introducing downtime by implementing new technology is not an option. 
It must also be remembered that 5G is an emerging technology designed specifically around industrial applications. Many of the features and functionality that manufacturers want still lie in the future – such as time-sensitive networking, high-accuracy location and positioning, and 5G industrial IoT. 
There will also be a delay while standards are defined, and while chipset manufacturers produce the silicon for these features and functionality, which then has to be integrated into the relevant machines. All this means that it may be a while before we see widespread adoption. 
What will the benefits of private networks be for manufacturing?
The adoption of private wireless networking, together with edge computing, will be a foundational next-generation infrastructure that will enable manufacturers to become more productive and flexible. 
It will deliver the ability to upgrade processes that existing technologies use, such as machines being tethered to an ethernet cable, or wireless systems that work only with a certain type of technology, such as Bluetooth or LoRa. 
LTE/5G private networks are poised to harmonize and simplify future network operations for manufacturers. They will also enable the deployment of more automation, such as mobile robots that can increase the speed and throughput of material handling.
Such networks facilitate the use of HD video for inspection for quality control, which brings reduced waste and increased output that help to meet sustainability goals. 
One of the most important benefits is in the area of worker safety, which is of primary importance to manufacturers. Equipping teams with personal protective gear fitted with wireless sensing devices, for example, means supervisors can be alerted to a hazardous situation such as a gas leak. 
Examples of Nokia enabling industrial sites to deploy private wireless
Butachimie, an operator with a chemical plant in France. It wanted to reduce production costs and simplify its overall manufacturing processes. In partnership with Orange Business Services, Nokia deployed a private 4G wireless network solution that supported systems such as closed-caption TV, push-to-talk, push-to-video, and industrial IoT sensing. Arcelik, a multi-national appliance manufacturer, where Nokia participated in the deployment of Turkey’s first 5G-ready private wireless network at a washing machine manufacturer. Alibaba, the largest retail e-commerce company in the world, for which Nokia deployed a private wireless network in a 30,000-square-meter warehouse connecting more than 100 automatic guided vehicles that delivered a sizeable increa

Private wireless networks based on 4.9G/LTE or 5G are gaining increasing traction in asset-intensive industries. Nokia is currently providing private wireless solutions to more than 450 customers. 
However, Wi-Fi has a role within Industry 4.0, even as digital transformation advances on a broad front. Most of those customers are enterprises with brownfield campuses, which means they have legacy wireless connectivity in place, such as Wi-Fi, that cannot simply be switched off. They may also be using Open RAN, and balancing licensed and unlicensed spectrum. 
Clients using Wi-Fi technology may decide to add industrial 4.9G/LTE and 5G devices for specific use cases – often in contexts where Wi-Fi has limitations with regard to mobility, coverage, and interference management. 
In circumstances where industrial locations use a mix of connectivity technologies, the enterprises concerned need a solution that will enable them both to extract the maximum value from the different systems deployed and to mitigate the resulting complexity. 
How does MX Boost work to reduce technological complexity?
Nokia MX Boost is a new innovation, a Nokia Bell Labs patented technology that makes it easy to combine private wireless connectivity with Wi-Fi. It delivers an aggregated multi-path connectivity that supports OT use cases. Industries and enterprises benefit from:
An optimized throughput in difficult radio conditions. Improved data processing in highly critical applications. MX Boost is an IP-based solution, which means it is extremely simple to implement and has a minimal impact on the network solutions it uses. It is deployed as a bonding and routing application on Nokia’s MX Industrial Edge, and on its multi-modem industrial devices. It works without any changes on wireless access points, making it completely agnostic when it comes to radio technology, spectrum and vendor. 
Enterprises can run MX Boost in one of two modes to meet the needs of different applications:
Aggregation mode: This boosts data rates in difficult radio conditions by splitting and recombining traffic for multiple channels. It includes performance probes on both links to measure in real time the quality of the channels to optimize reliability. Replication mode: This duplicates the data and puts the same packets on all radio links, then automatically selects the best one. The aim is to boost reliability, latency and mobility.  What is a typical implementation of MX Boost?
The most typical usage of MX Boost is to aggregate Wi-Fi 6 and 4.9G/LTE for business-critical OT applications that require high data rates, capacity and quality in specific hotspots.
For example, it takes up to 10 cameras to enable remote control of a port train. A combination of Wi-Fi and 4.9G/LTE bandwidth allows for the exclusive use of 4K cameras. If there is a degradation of the quality of the Wi-Fi connectivity, MX Boost automatically switches back to 4.9G/LTE and to HD cameras. 
There are many other data-hungry applications, such as high-quality sensor-based applications for multi-metal impurity detection, and augmented reality maintenance applications. 
In some countries, industries have access to multiple spectrum bands. So MX Boost can be used to combine various radio technology types like 4G and 5G, and multiple spectrum bands such as centimeter wave, millimeter wave, or disparate 4G bands.
Enterprises can use MX Boost to replicate data connectivity on two 4.9G/LTE bands to improve reliability, which is interesting in areas with challenging radio conditions such as ports, metal factories, and mines. 
What benefits does being vendor agnostic bring?
This is a significant benefit in an age when many enterprise environments are multi-vendor. MX Boost is based on the IP layer, which delivers huge flexibility for the integration of existing connectivity technologies – including in multi-vendor environments, which is important in the context of supporting legacy Wi

Pace of private wireless network adoption is set to accelerate dramatically Now that the concept of private wireless networks has been accepted, Nokia is seeing enormous acceleration in its deployment. The company has delivered enough networks to be confident that the economics for an enterprise are excellent compared to Wi-Fi.
The ability to address use cases that used to be out of range commercially is increasing. Nokia’s outstanding expertise in this field ensures that a wider range of enterprises, from complex environments to small retail units, can enjoy the benefits of private wireless.
Private wireless remains, however, in its early stages, and Nokia is expecting a dramatic acceleration in its deployment. The company has been even more successful than it expected in making the technology easy to use and deploy in a way that suits a wide range of use cases.
How Nokia works to ensure smoother private wireless adoption
Private wireless is a compelling solution for industries because, as enterprises seek to extract more data from their machines, control them wirelessly, or operate a wider range of business processes, this is possible only with the assistance of highly reliable technologies.
Cellular advances such as LTE and 5G are ideal for difficult environments. In the case of ports and factories, for instance, these are large areas with a great deal of metal on site, yet the enterprise concerned requires the accurate collection of uplink data.
Nokia is working to make deployment of private wireless networks easier. The company comes to this new landscape with immense experience in telecommunications, but has evolved to be able to delivery technology platforms in two ways:
Plug-and-play: This is a Private Wireless as a Service (PWaaS) model that creates the entire environment, effectively a digital automation service. Bespoke: Enterprises that wish to compile their own solution can do so in a way that combines a radio package with other multiple products to ensure it suits their requirements. The ecosystem is critical to successful implementation
The enterprise environment is incredibly diverse and complex, with many different segments and specializations. Each use case requires a high level of expert knowledge. In response, Nokia has created several segments internally to cover areas including energy and industry. Its teams work to establish a depth of industry knowledge that informs, and enables the delivery of, the requirements of enterprises within each particular sector.
This is crucial to the process of integrating the right solutions. Its innovation has been assisted by the creation of partnerships with the companies that manufacture the machines at the heart of each network. As a result, the enterprise in question can take delivery of a network that works immediately to a super-reliable standard to the commercial benefit of the client in question.
Pre-integration in this way ensures the creation of a joint road map. An end user – a factory, port, mine, or other complex environment – may have multiple suppliers. But thanks to this greater degree of technological alignment at an earlier stage in the process, that end user does not need to worry about performance, reliability and interoperability.
As a result, Nokia has added a high level of enterprise connectivity to its existing pre-eminence in telecommunications and associated technology – while remaining open-minded to the need to adapt to future requirements.
Indeed, it is essential to accept that 5G represents a learning curve for all parties. Ultimately, enterprises want to invest in technologies that are future-proof and 5G – and 5G SA in particular – are particularly strong in that respect.
If a business begins today on this journey with LTE, it can deploy systems that will be reusable and expandable with 5G in perpetuity. The other key factor with regard to 5G SA is that it is making a significant difference with regard to affo

How mining demonstrates the positive impact of private wireless  
Few industries showcase the benefits of a private wireless network more vividly than mining. This is a sector in which driverless 300-tonne trucks with wheels two meters wide can be operated from a control center hundreds of kilometers away.  
 
Health and safety is a critical concern in an environment that features monster vehicles and giant machines – and frequent blasts inside a pit. Underground, the challenges are even more significant. There are thick rock walls, narrow corridors and a constantly changing route. It is simply not feasible to cover a whole site with a single antenna. 
 
The importance of digital transformation in mining
 
There are four interconnected KPIs for any mining operator:
Safety Sustainability Productivity Efficiency  
The drive to meet these KPIs underpins most of the transformation projects in the mining industry. If there is a safety incident within a mine, production is halted. Stopping for just a few hours can mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of tonnes, which impacts on both productivity and the bottom line. 
 
An illustration of the impact of private wireless on a mining operation
 
Let’s look at the effect of the deployment of a private LTE-powered autonomous haulage system in an Australian mine. Its operator has more than 50 connected trucks working on collecting the ore that has been excavated. 
 
Merely by installing the private LTE, the mine saved more than €10million through reducing the number of Wi-Fi points required. It also saw a productivity increase of about 75 hours per year per truck – which translated into 1.5 million tonnes more excavated each year. That in turn meant a top-line growth of €50million just from the improved connectivity. 
 
The operator reported a 90 per cent drop in the number of unplanned stops. Because communication with each truck was improved, the amount of fuel consumed dropped too. There was a saving of up to 80,000 liters of diesel per truck per year. 
 
As well as a huge cost benefit in an era of rising energy prices, this also had a big impact on the sustainability of the operation, to the tune of a carbon reduction of 236 tonnes. 
 
How Nokia has pioneered private wireless in mining
 
Mining was one of the first verticals where Nokia demonstrated the viability of private wireless networks, more than ten years ago. Nokia’s first project was rolled out in the Pilbara region of Australia, a major mining area. 
 
Nokia now has more than 35 mining customers, including four out of the five biggest multi-national operators. Customers appreciate the benefits in terms of high bandwidth, low frequency, built-in security, quality of service and, most important of all, ultra-reliability. 
 
Business continuity is crucial to mining, so a reliable network, combined with edge computing capabilities, is a winning mix. The installation of a single private wireless network can bring benefits in terms of mission-critical data applications, remotely operated machines, CCTV, video streaming, communications and a range of Internet of Things applications. 
 
Having one single network infrastructure, which uses private wireless 4.9G or 5G technology, and that works both above the surface and underground, brings significant advantages. Underground is more challenging – radio planning and an appreciation of the tunnel structure are crucial – but ultimately the same network can be used. 
 
Five tips for mining companies considering a digital transformation 
 
1/ Start by consulting your operations teams. It is essential that your private wireless network solution helps to meet those key KPIs of safety, productivity and efficiency. Private wireless should not be technology for the sake of technology.
 
2/ Think end-to-end when you start deploying private wireless. You need to work with your whole ecosystem, not just the sh

How can an industrial site make the right choice of private wireless network? Several varieties of private wireless networks are available – and there is also a choice of the types of provider that can deliver such a service. Our analysis of the sector has generated insight on the process facing a business or industrial site looking to make a decision on the best way to proceed. What types of private wireless coverage are available?
Essentially, there are three options available to any commercial organization that is weighing up the desirability of private wireless:
Local area: Ideal when there is a need for coverage around a particular site such as an airport, retail centre, industrial estate or mining operation.  Wide area: Companies such as tech logistic firms may need connectivity at their headquarters and distribution centers while also requiring coverage on a nationwide level.  Field area: Some firms need connectivity away from their base, but only in locations where they have assets. Examples include rail networks.  Overall, private networks are the best solution for industrial sites. However, there may be instances when it is economical to use a slice of a public network when it comes to wide area connectivity. In a smart city, for example, it may make sense to use a public network for non-urgent applications such as parking meter communication.
Why is private wireless the best choice in local area instances?
There are three reasons why this option is ideally suited for industrial sites:
Familiarity: Such operations are used to effectively owning their local area networks. They are accustomed to having oversight of their connectivity and this allows them to continue doing that.  Performance: Many industrial sites are in non-urban areas, which results in less than optimal coverage. A dedicated local deployment designed to connect key elements of operational technology (OT) is ideal and will deliver the requisite levels of latency and capacity. Reliability: An essential consideration for OT critical applications. Even with dedicated small cells inside an industrial site, a connection to a public network tends to increase the latency.  What are the various types of supplier of private wireless networks?
Interest in private wireless has grown significantly in the industrial sector in the last year or so. And, with more than 13 million industrial sites potentially requiring such an installation, the market place is becoming increasingly crowded. Several different genres of supplier exist:
Telecom vendors: Private wireless is clearly an area of opportunity for such operations. Indeed, Nokia was one of the trend-setters in private wireless when it deployed networks for Rio Tinto at an open mine in Australia in 2015.  Mobile operators and CSPs: They have a lot to offer in this space. They have spectrum, expertise in managing 4G and 5G networks that people use every day, and good existing relationships with the enterprise space. They can also offer critical connectivity nationwide, and many have a dedicated business arm providing enterprise IT and system integration.  CSPs from the IT space: There are companies that effectively deploy a lot of edge cloud servers within enterprise. Our research shows there’s a high degree of trust from enterprise in eco-system players, especially in areas such as mining and manufacturing where network connectivity is a key component of a complete end-to-end solution. IT players and system integrators: Firms such as Accenture or DXC can deliver private wireless solutions to customers. System integrators and consulting firms: They are interested in private wireless as a key enabler for related industries. Access to spectrum is a key private wireless network consideration
Increasing numbers of countries are releasing spectrum that can be used for this purpose. France was one of the first, as were Germany, the UK and the US. 
However, in markets that have not release ve