How Private LTE and 5G Boost Stand to Accelerate Industry 4.0

Disruptive technologies have integrated themselves across every global industry, intensifying efficiency, quality, and output. Through the use of technological innovations such as IoT sensors, AI, and machine learning the growing realization of Industry 4.0 within an array of sectors continues to accelerate as many corporations look to overhaul their operations and set the new industry standard. Some of the industries benefiting from Industry 4.0 are:

• Agriculture
• Inventory Management
• Construction
• Engineering
• Mining
• Design

Alongside the conception of these solutions has been an exponential growth in connection services as companies attempt to overcome the significant challenges affiliated with providing a stable cloud network for the devices. While powerful, all new technologies are predicated on the requirement that all solutions can effectively operate on a consistent and reliable service, facilitating the processing and communication of insightful data between devices while alleviating issues caused by traffic.

Co-founder and CRO at RippleLink, James Smith stated “As of 2022, we have many options to connect the billions of sensors soon to invade every corner of our society. We could cable them up with good old-fashioned fiber and ethernet, utilize Wi-Fi, or leverage some of the new wireless technologies like LPWAN, Private LTE, or Millimeter Wave.” 

“Out of all the existing available technologies to connect the billions of devices coming online in Industry 4.0, Private LTE offers significant advantages over many of the other wireless solutions,” Smith wrote in this article. “Private LTE allows network teams to prioritize traffic and set QoS down to the device level. A self-driving car traveling down the freeway communicating with the car in front of it won’t get bumped off the network by a temperature sensor.”

Private LTE networks capably support critical applications across a less congested network operated under the complete jurisdiction of the organization. Providing a considerable level of customization alongside the reliability and high performance required by industrial networks, Private LTE devices can offer low-latency communication across a vast range, connecting to around 100 devices in spaces such as warehouses and manufacturing floors. Key features attributing to Private LTE viability include:

• One of the most secure wireless platforms available to non-government entities, Private LTE offers carrier-grade protection to anyone operating a Private LTE network.
• Spectrum Access System (SAS) enables multiple Private LTE networks to run adjacent to each other by utilizing geolocation to avoid RF interference, maneuvering each network to different channels.
• Unlike Wi-Fi, Private LTE networks are not susceptible to signal degradation, providing a simple, potent, and cost-effective solution for traditionally challenging RF indoor environments.

While no single communication platform will enable the billions of devices becoming increasingly ingrained within our society, Private LTE and 5G infrastructures are finding surging adoption with the value expected to reach USD 8.3 billion in 2026, providing stability for the initial phase of the Industry 4.0.