The 5G-powered transformation of industry
5G is transforming industry. Vastly reduced data transfer speeds and hyper connectivity is helping to make manufacturing facilities more intelligent and automated. Sany Heavy Industry, the world’s fifth- largest construction company, is using its own private 5G network to process the enormous amounts of data it collects using sensors, high-definition security cameras, and autonomous vehicles. Partnering with ZTE and local mobile operators in China, Sany Heavy Industry built a 5G-powered Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) platform. Unlike a centralised model, MEC allows data to be analysed, processed and stored in real time on the “edge” of the cloud, as close as possible to where it was collected. This means the computing of traffic and services is much closer to the customer or end user. Sany Heavy Industry’s MEC platform enables the company to offload computational tasks from sensors and equipment on the ground, while still maintaining low latency, since there is no need to process the data via a private cloud.
SA and industry
If the 5G future is to be fully realised, it will require the standalone (SA) deployment of 5G. SA deployment enables operators to “slice” bandwidth and create virtual networks for their customers, which can be customised depending on specific customer requirements.
Generally, network slicing tended to be divided into two categories, which are characterised as “hard isolation” and “soft isolation”. “Hard isolation” is where a network is completely exclusive to one user and usually includes dedicated local hardware or terminals. “Soft isolation” also isolates the data, but one network may be affected by another—for example, a slowdown could be caused by significant data usage on another network slice.
The quality of service, reliability and security of software-isolated network slices may be lower than “hard slices”, but they also cost considerably less. Service operators are also increasingly adopting technologies—such as network function virtualisation, which reduces the need for proprietary hardware by running networks on standard servers, and software-defined networking, which uses software applications to consistently manage and control networks, regardless of the underlying technology—to ensure “soft slices” based on the same set of hardware do not interfere with each other.
“Hard isolation is superior to soft isolation in security and network quality, but it is also more costly,” says Jason Tu, ZTE’s Principal Scientist of Software-Defined Networking, “In most cases, factories use hard isolation in accordance with network quality requirements, since data is transmitted on a local loop, the information won’t go outside the factory. Meanwhile, hospitals use soft isolation in accordance with costs.”
The increased connectivity and reduced latency of 5G will also have a major impact on productivity. Xinfengming Group, a chemical manufacturer, partnered with ZTE to embed 5G technology in its filament production process. Now, autonomous trolleys transport products and goods around Xinfengming’s factories, and high-resolution video is streamed over 5G to monitor production processes. The company’s MEC platform uses an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to inspect filaments and spot any problems, without needing to upload the full, unfiltered video feed to Xinfengming’s video centre, thus speeding up the process.
