5G Steel – the first enhanced mobile broadband use cases to decarbonize the steel industry and work in mobility on an industrial site in France
ArcelorMittal France announces the operational launch of 5G Steel, the largest 4G/5G network in an industrial environment, with Orange Business Services and Ericsson. The initiative, supported by the State as part of the France Relance economic recovery plan, now makes it possible to implement the first industrial use cases on the ArcelorMittal site in Dunkirk.
Industrial use cases for 5G Steel include:
The Connected Operator: The mobility of people and processes enabled by 5G Steel is transforming the way people work in industrial environments. For example, on the hot strip rolling mill, data collection, entry and sharing operations can be done more quickly and intuitively using tablets: inspections during maintenance operations, safety audits, consignment… Steel recycling: ArcelorMittal’s recycling management of the steel fleet is facilitated by the extensive coverage and high throughput. Steel arriving on site for recycling is weighed and scanned to assess its density and composition. This data is then transmitted automatically by the operators in charge of quality control from the field via 5G Steel. Machine operators (cranes and stackers) receive the information directly from the production program and can inform about the actions taken via 5G Steel.
The future industrial use cases to be developed on ArcelorMittal sites include other initiatives in terms of mobility of people in work situations, autonomous rail vehicles in Dunkirk and Florange, autonomous road vehicles, the generalization of maintenance mobile with feedback from the field, virtual or augmented reality and safety devices.
Currently deployed at ArcelorMittal sites in Dunkirk and Mardyck (Northern France), 5G Steel will be extended to other sites, including Florange (Eastern France) in 2023.
5G Steel’s capabilities meet the challenges of tomorrow’s industry thanks to:
Extensive coverage: the mobile network covers all of ArcelorMittal’s complex industrial sites, both outdoors and indoors, including under high-rise metal structures. This coverage provides greater freedom of movement for operators and connectivity throughout the enterprise. High throughput in response to the high throughput needs of modeled processes, connected objects, production data, etc. level of service adapted to each operational process need Data security: the private mobile network protects sensitive industrial data.
The objective of the deployment of 5G Steel is also to allow the development of the French ecosystem around the value chain of these industrial use cases. 5G Steel will cover the main seaport of Dunkirk and ArcelorMittal’s Digital Labs in Dunkirk and Florange, and tests are underway to extend the network to the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions.
David Glijer, Director of Digital Transformation at Arcelor Mittal France, said: “ArcelorMittal, a leader in the digitalization of the steel industry, is transforming the way it works. Industry 4.0 technologies improve reliability, operator safety and comfort, productivity and quality in all our factories. Today, the contribution of 5G is essential in these use cases. »
Franck Bouétard, CEO of Ericsson France, said: “The private network will allow ArcelorMittal to accelerate the digitization of the various critical industrial processes on the site and to extend it to the Port of Dunkirk. Connectivity everywhere, real-time monitoring and security requirements are at the heart of the solutions implemented. We are proud to support ArcelorMittal to pave the way for industrial 5G in Europe and France. »
Valérie Cussac, Executive Vice President Smart Mobility Services at Orange Business Services, said: “We are delighted to support ArcelorMittal with our dual expertise as an integrator operator. 5G Steel enables maximum use of their critical data securely. By combining the performance and robustness of 5G with our ecosystem of partners and start-ups, we bring innovation and digital technology to our innovative industrial customers, like ArcelorMittal, to create a positive impact.
5G steel in numbers
9 radio sites with 4X4 MiMo antennas to cover the Dunkirk and Mardyck sites
1 core with dynamic geographic redundancy to manage up to 50,000 users
1 monitoring tool to manage and operate the 5G Steel network
19 Cradlepoint routers, a subsidiary of Ericsson
80% of the zone is above speed targets
Networking
November 23, 2021: Launch of the project
December 8, 2021: Definition of the positioning of the antennas
April 22, 2022: Installation of the core and the 1st antenna
August 5, 2022: installation complete
Sept. 1, 2022: Authorization to use frequencies