Talk about scale, right out of the gate; Vivo, the Brazilian unit of Spain-based Telefónica, has recruited Nokia to deploy private LTE (4G) networks at 30 locations belonging to Brazilian brewing company Ambev. These include factories, warehouses, and other logistics and distribution centres, it said. The deal has the “possibility of expanding to other areas”, said Nokia in a statement. The Finnish vendor is Vivo’s go-to partner for private 4G/5G deployments with enterprises in Latin America.
Nokia called the project a “benchmark in the orchestration of private networks in Brazil”, covering sundry high/low-power IoT and AI analytics for automation of Ambev’s logistics operations. It said Vivo is “increasing its share of the domestic [private networks] market”. It stated: “The aim is to increase the efficiency of Ambev’s logistics operation(s) through improved internal mobility, with a more efficient sharing of information between the connected spaces, as well as the automation of the areas covered.”
The LTE solution is based on Nokia’s wide-area macro-level Modular Private Wireless (MPW) solution, it seems – rather than its campus-wide Digital Automation Cloud solution (DAC), which has underpinned much of its work in the space. Alongside a de-rigeur primer about the point of private networks (for better performance and mobility to drive automation, and thereby efficiency, productivity, security), the press note referenced “robotized production lines” and “traffic prioritization” (with “thousands of sensors and devices”).
The installations will underpin “digital transformation initiatives”, which are already underway at Ambev. Ambev, formerly Companhia de Bebidas das Américas (and Companhia Brasileira de Bebidas), operates as the ‘Americas’ part of Anheuser-Busch InBev (hence ‘Ambev’).
Vivo, as system integrator, has a number of private 4G/5G deployments in Brazil with Nokia. Notably, it is engaged with Brazilian mining giant Vale, which is investing around $50 million to deploy a private LTE network across 76 sites along the Carajás Railway, connecting the states of Maranhão and Pará. The network will be fully operational in 2025. Vale has deployed private LTE at the Serra Leste and Carajás open pit iron ore mines in Pará, as part of a $3.9 million deal with Vivo’s business unit.
Adriano Pereira, director of IoT, big data and B2B innovation at Vivo, said: “Private networks accelerate digitalization processes through connectivity that is designed specifically for our customers’ essential requirements, making operations more efficient, productive and intelligent. Our product, which is a pioneering solution within the market, offers reliability and robustness for various applications and facilitates the insertion of connected devices throughout the operational plant.”
Marcelo Entreconti, head of Nokia’s enterprise campus edge business in Latin America, said: “We are proud to partner with Vivo to deliver a state-of-the-art private network solution that is promoting greater agility, efficiency and security for logistics operations. Nokia Modular Private Wireless (MPW) was designed to meet the high demands of industrial applications, such as IoT, AI and Big Data, which are essential to Ambev’s digital transformation journey.”
