Further to Nokia’s news yesterday (October 9) about new Industry 4.0 applications for its MXIE system – and actually announced yesterday, as well, in tandem, but lost in a Nokia PR deluge – the Finnish vendor has also released a flurry of new Industry 4.0 devices for situational awareness and worker safety. It continues the firm’s bold strategy, taking matters into its own hands, to ensure industrial hardware is available for its private 4G/5G networks, as well as its range of industrial IT/OT/IoT applications.
New devices include ruggedized indoor/outdoor field routers, understood to be made/branded by Nokia, and additional third-party explosion-protected (‘EX-protected’) devices, including a 5G tablet and a push-to-talk (PTT) handheld; the latter two are from Germany-based industrial devices manufacturer i.safe MOBILE. Under the IECEx standard-based system, EX-rated equipment is tested and certified as explosion proof; IECEx certificates apply to countries worldwide (compared to the EU-focused ATEX equivalent).
They are pitched to enterprises with workers in “potentially dangerous or high-security industrial environments such as mines, ports, chemical and oil and gas facilities”, said Nokia. The firm said the new releases are “part of [its] drive to help industries simplify and accelerate digital transformation by offering a unified platform that includes edge computing, applications, and business-critical connectivity”.
They go alongside its existing range of EX and (“high”) IP protection devices for Industry 4.0; these include “handhelds, dongles, and field routers… [to] connect people, machines, and sensors”, it said. The new field routers include Nokia’s new MX Boost feature, which optimises concurrent usage of LTE (4G), 5G, and Wi-Fi 6 networks. The ruggedised tablet from i.safe MOBILE is 5G-enabled and Android-based.
It works also with LTE and Wi-Fi 6, and features a replaceable battery and programmable buttons for custom applications. The PTT device works with all the same network technologies. All the new products, available with Nokia’s DAC private-networks system and MXIE industrial-server product, work with its industrial device management and network digital twin Industry 4.0 management platforms.
Stephan Litjens, vice president, enterprise campus edge solutions in Nokia’s cloud network services division, said: “By leveraging our latest applications, enterprises can implement Industry 4.0 use cases more effectively. Nokia MX Boost, Network Digital Twin, Industrial Device Management, and other applications like Visual Position and Object Detection, as well as Team Comms, add value to our customers beyond connectivity and edge compute capabilities in Nokia one platform for industrial digitalization.”
