Nokia has released a new range of industrial 5G devices to go with its twin DAC and MPW private wireless products, and its newly bundled MX Industrial Edge (MXIE) edge portfolio. New ruggedized 5G SA devices include a smartphone, field routers, and a 5G millimeter wave (mmW) hotspot. Its MulteFire router for LTE in unlicensed spectrum, released in June, is also being offered with the new devices portfolio.
The new range is designed to connect ‘teams and machines’ on private 5G systems to help enterprises drive forward their Industry 4.0 strategies. Nokia said its new 5G devices are pre-tested for industrial usage and pre-integrated with its plug-and-play Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) and larger-footprint Modular Private Wireless (MPW) systems. The Finnish firm is offering device management with the new MXIE edge package.
Nokia is able to support frequency band combinations often associated with private wireless in 4G and 5G, including bands B31/72/87 as well as at 2.5 GHz in band 53. The MulteFire unit works in the unlicensed 5 GHz band. Nokia’s new field routers are IP67 rated with anti-vibration design for indoor and outdoor usage. They offer connectivity support for a range of industrial protocols, including PROFINET, EtherCAT, and Modbus.
New mmW 5G devices, starting with the new hotspot, will allow customers to take advantage of new spectrum as it’s released for high data rate industrial applications, noted Nokia. The firm is targeting asset-intensive industries, such as manufacturing, energy, mining, and transportation, where the Industry 4.0 concept has traditionally applied. Its MXIE bundle brings heftier compute to the outer edge, adjacent to OT functions in factories and plants.
Decent availability of 5G devices has been a major issue for enterprises rolling out private 5G systems; in the end, the majority of trial deployments have relied on LTE units. The Nokia-branded XR20 smartphone (pictured) is being pitched as a smartphone for Industry 4.0. The ruggedized version offers “military-grade resilience”, the company said, including temperatures from +55c to -22C, 1.8m drops, and an hour under water.
The MXIE system comes with various third-party Industry 4.0 apps, announced this week; its new 5G devices offer Nokia’s Team Communications and Group Communications apps. Its ‘scene reader’ app allows users to scan and identify assets such as port containers, by interpreting the writing on the containers. The new range of 5G SA field routers will enable enterprises to connect industrial machinery, sensors, and vehicles to private wireless networks.
Shkumbin Hamiti, head of devices and spectrum in Nokia’s enterprise solutions division, said: “[By] utilizing Nokia industrial devices, enterprises can ensure that workers, vehicles, and devices can reliably and securely interact in the most challenging environments. By extending our portfolio with a range of 5G SA devices, we enable enterprises to evolve to address the changing business landscape as well as advance in their digital transformation.”
