Private LTE Networks

Reliable, secure, with extensive coverage, fast, and with ultra-low latency. These are the main characteristics of a private LTE (Long Term Evolution) network: a wireless network that meets the connectivity needs of industrial environments.

This multi-user technology helps increase operational efficiency while enabling real-time remote monitoring and control.

Additionally, it supports all mission-critical vertical applications (for example, those that allow remote control of machinery in a mine). It provides reliable and predictable connectivity to automate operations, ensure safety and protection, and take enterprises to new levels of quality and productivity.

How to Protect and Secure Industrial Operations

Industries must respond swiftly to market changes and customer demands. This requires transforming the way they work and optimizing their operations in real time.

Digital transformation and process automation are key to keeping pace with the speed of business. Private LTE networks become a fundamental ally, enabling industries to be hyper-connected and ensuring the continuity of real-time operations.

Robots for Industry and Their Potential with Private Networks

Industrial modernization includes, among other things, the incorporation of automatically guided vehicles; these are robots that move autonomously (without a driver). They are generally used to transport loads, especially for repetitive, high-frequency tasks. Their main benefit is that they ensure the uninterrupted transport of materials, but to achieve this they require an optimal wireless connection.

This is where private LTE networks come in: they are ideal for processes like this because they have low latency (that is, reduced response time). This reduces failures and increases operational efficiency.

Consider the following example. The Nokia plant in Oulu (Finland) manufactures and designs telecommunications products. To automate one of its processes, it incorporated an Autonomous Intelligent Vehicle (AIV). This AIV operated on a Wi-Fi network covering the area between two points, but the network soon proved insufficient, as connectivity was lost during transit (and required manual intervention to restore, which hindered operator workflow).

As a result, a private wireless network (4.9G/LTE) was implemented, ensuring secure and stable connectivity for all assets both inside and outside the factory. In this way, the AIV can perform its functions anywhere in the plant without connection interruptions.

The Contribution of Private Networks to Mission-Critical Operations

When we refer to mission-critical systems, we mean those that are considered essential to the operation of a process or business and whose failure or interruption will have a severe impact.

For industries with mission-critical operations, a private LTE network provides uninterrupted communication services. It is used in large enterprises around the world, from utilities and mining to manufacturing, airports, and ports that require a network capable of keeping pace with operations, since any interruption in communications would cause serious problems.

Consider the following example: at an airport, communications between the control tower and an aircraft preparing to land cannot be interrupted at any point, as this would endanger the process (and the lives of those on board). Furthermore, this communication has stringent low-latency requirements, meaning that information to and from the control tower must arrive as close to real time as possible so that decisions can be made instantly.

Why Is It a More Suitable Alternative Than Wi-Fi?

Private networks use a spectrum space dedicated exclusively to their processes. For this reason, they are more efficient and secure than a Wi-Fi network, as they avoid the well-known congestion and interference issues associated with unlicensed frequency bands.

Additionally, this type of connection ensures operational control, since it covers every corner of a facility with mobile broadband that enables the flow of information between employees and machines, which is essential for real-time monitoring and rapid response in case of an incident.

What Can We Do with Private LTE Networks for Industry?

Remotely or on-site control of machinery.
Providing connectivity for security cameras for plant surveillance and operations monitoring.
Collecting environmental data from low-power sensors.
Controlling cranes, AGVs, and forklifts via remote control, in autonomous mode, or collaboratively.
Calculating the trajectory of vehicles, machinery, and personnel to optimize workflows.
Using PTT (push-to-talk) communication applications, such as walkie-talkies.
Protecting data by storing and processing it on a fully private network.
Locating assets with high precision, even when they are indoors and without GPS coverage.
Analyzing production line anomalies through real-time video analytics.