Vodafone has deployed an all-edge private 5G network in pilot mode at the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant in Czechia for power generation conglomerate ČEZ Group. The UK-headquartered firm called it a “European first”, as a 5G-based private network at a European nuclear site. The new deployment is “entirely independent” of its public 5G network in the country. The initial scope of the project has been to cover the plant’s outdoor space, as well as selected indoor production areas. The primary use case is worker connectivity.
Vodafone said the results of the pilot, including “subsequent evaluation” by ČEZ, will inform the deployments of private 5G networks at further sites. Prague-based ČEZ Group is the largest utility and biggest public company in central and eastern Europe. It comprises 96 companies, mostly in Czechia, and mostly in the generation and distribution of electricity and gas. It has operations in Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey, as well.
It has nuclear plants in Temelín and Dukovany in Czechia, alongside larger numbers of coal-fired and wind power plants. With the expansion of the private 5G pilot at Temelín, and its replication at Dukovany and other sites, ČEZ Group said it expects to transition away from walkie-talkie communications in the plant, and pave the way for augmented reality (AE) glasses to support the work of technicians. The Vodafone project includes network redundancy in case of failure.
Bohdan Zronek, director of the nuclear division of ČEZ, said: “Part of the nuclear plant’s network, as an element of critical infrastructure, must be completely separated from the external network. That is why we maintain an alternative in the event of an outage, and the management system of course remains completely separate from the outside world. We are the first nuclear power plant in Europe to actually test a private 5G network, while other European operators work mostly with 4G.”
Violeta Luca, chief executive of Vodafone in Czechia, said: “By being entirely independent from the public network, our private 5G solution ensures that all user data and infrastructure are securely managed within the power plant’s own systems, which is vital for maintaining the highest standards of safety and reliability. This technology is a key enabler in advancing the secure digitalisation of such critical infrastructure.”
Vodafone has deployed a private 5G network with Volkswagen-owned car maker Škoda in Czechia (in 2022); it also has private networks in Germany with chemicals company BASF, in Italy with energy company SNAM, and in Ireland for the national rugby team. It has also deployed at Ford in the UK.
