Public sector telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has signed a MoU with telecom equipment maker Nokia Solutions and Networks India Pvt Ltd for Industry 4.0, an official said on Tuesday.
The BSNL will also approach various industries for implementing Industry 4.0 in the country, BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava told reporters here.
Industry 4.0 is the next level of automation in manufacturing where machines become smart, share data and includes Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing.
According to Shrivastava, BSNL has taken several initiatives for the launch of 5G services in India by 2020. Nokia Solutions is one of its key partners in developing the 5G eco-system.
He said BSNL was exploring cases such as Industry 4.0 that can benefit tremendously with 5G.
Queried about the investment that BSNL would have to make to roll out 5G by 2020, Shrivastava said the company invested about Rs 35,000 crore for rolling out 4G and a similar amount would be required for 5G rollout.
Shrivastava was here to participate in the 10th anniversary celebrations of Nokia Solutions plant near here that has cross production of four million units.
According to Nokia Solutions, the plant will now leverage solutions like augmented and virtual reality, connected robotics, artificial intelligence, big data analytics and IoT to enhance production.
According to Nokia Solutions, it has deployed the network using its micro core network and multi-access edge computing platform, delivering edge cloud capabilities to process data closer to end-users, lowering latency and ensuring personnel are alerted to any anomalies in production so they can be quickly resolved.
Increased levels of automation will help in shop-floor processes such as remote monitoring of robots and control of automated guided vehicles.
Meanwhile, Nokia Solutions has already started shipping out 5G ready telecom equipment out of its facility near here to the US, Asia Pacific, Europe and other places.
According to Johannes Giloth, Senior Vice President, Global Operations, the factory near here is the only second owned facility for the parent company, the first one being in Finland.
He said the company has sold all other plants to its manufacturing partners.
Giloth said the 5G product will be a global product and would be produced nearer to market and also from the facility near here.
According to Sanjay Malik, Vice President and Head of the Indian Market at Nokia, the standardisation of 5G technology will be ready by the first quarter of the next year.
Malik said from chip set perspective it will be finalized soon.
“The 5G system will be ready by the middle of next year. We are working with the BSNL and others. The demand for 4G systems is also increasing,” Malik said.
Malik said the ratio of 4G products domestic sales to export sales out of the company’s plant near here is 50:50 and 5G products may also be of similar ratio.