Betacom is working with Airspan Networks and Druid Software, a familiar pairing for private RAN and core, to deliver a pirate 5G network in the CBRS band for the Digital Manufacturing Institute and National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing (MxD) in the US. The trio will install a private 5G network for Industry 4.0 research at MxD’s Chicago headquarters and Factory Floor Lab; it is said to be one of the first indoor private 5G deployments in the US.
A statement said the MxD project is focused on “bringing manufacturing back to the US”, through development of home-grown Industry 4.0 tech. It said: “The automation which sits at the core of the [Industry 4.0} movement can concentrate supply lines closer to customers, reduce the need for manual labour in manufacturing, drive new business models, and refine traditional business models to deliver next level goods and services.”
Bellevue-based Betacom has helped US carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon with their national 5G rollouts. It is handling the design, build, and run phases for the new MxD network, and has recruited US-based Airspan Networks and Ireland-based Druid Software for the work. Betacom said the network management is being “delivered via its modern cloud-based Security and Service Operations Center, built on Zero Trust security design principles”.
Chandra Brown, chief executive at MxD, commented: “Cutting-edge communication capabilities introduce the ability to get data in near real-time to make faster, better-informed decisions in manufacturing facilities across the United States. 5G is an enabling technology that will help unlock potential for manufacturers to be more efficient and competitive, and we are excited to deploy this private network at MxD in partnership with Betacom.”
Johan Bjorklund, chief executive at Betacom, said: “We look forward to collaborating… the most innovative manufacturing technology companies in the world today. The opportunity that this collection of organisations has to truly redefine the nature and the direction of manufacturing globally, and to return manufacturing to the US, cannot be overstated. We are proud to… supply the high-performance, highly-secure network that will support those efforts.”
Glenn Laxdal, president and chief operating officer at Airspan, said: “We are proud to be an integral part of delivering this Industry 4.0 deployment… to position MxD to accelerate the private network ecosystem for innovative manufacturing use cases.”
Liam Kenny, chief executive at Druid Software, said: “We are delighted to… join this esteemed group of advanced manufacturing technology companies. Our… platform is ideal for… these Industry 4.0 use cases as this group works towards redefining manufacturing standards globally.”
