Chicago-based carrier US Cellular, the fourth largest carrier in the United States, has installed a private 5G network at a new Industry 4.0 customer lab in Ohio owned by Rockwell Automation. Their focus is on integrating, exploring, and expanding operational technology (OT) use cases in upcoming private 5G technologies. The press release does not mention network equipment suppliers or spectrum usage.
But U.S. Cellular said its new Connected Enterprise Lab in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, is part of the company’s strategy to transition from being a “long-established public service provider to working with large private global manufacturing companies.” He said that this represents a shift in focus. Rockwell Automation, which dominates the domestic OT scene of industrial automation technology, wants customers to be able to “interact and experiment” with his 5G in its “Digital Lab Experience.”
A press statement noted that Rockwell Automation will explore how private 5G can be “integrated into existing network architectures” to support “high availability control systems.” The report states that “these Industry 4.0 hybrid networks” are already “delivering a quick return on investment” for “factory or manufacturing floor operations.” The lab will simulate “real-world settings” and “demonstrate advanced technologies using low-latency 5G.”
Rockwell Automation will explore demonstrations of “communication, monitoring, and control of complex automated processes such as conveyors, temperature controls, robotic cells, and many other industrial machines,” the company said in a statement. Initial use cases will focus on manufacturing, distribution, and warehousing through various Industry 4.0 and IoT technologies, including “sensors, machine learning, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, and autonomous robotics.”
said Kim Kerr, senior vice president of enterprise sales and operations at US Cellular. “The future of Industry 4.0 and supply chain management will increasingly involve digital technologies and solutions designed to transform manufacturing by providing an integrated experience between public and private cellular networks. Sho” “
Dan DeYoung, Global Vice President and PMO, Product Management, Rockwell Automation. [its] Private cellular network expertise supports Rockwell Automation’s efforts to provide customers with the latest advanced networking technology. Together, we deliver a best-of-both-world technology environment that not only addresses current market needs, but also shapes the future of industrial and IoT networking. ”
