Ericsson also said that the 5G Steel network required the installation of nine radio sites with 4X4 MiMo antennas to cover the Dunkirk and Mardyck sites
ArcelorMittal France has announced the operational launch of 5G Steel, which it claims is the largest 4G/5G network in the industrial space. Partners in the project include Orange Business Services and Ericsson.
The initiative, supported by the French government, is now enabling the first industrial use cases to be implemented at the ArcelorMittal site in Dunkirk.
Ericsson noted that the industrial use cases of 5G Steel include the use of tablets to carry out inspections during maintenance operations, safety audits and lockout procedures.
Also, Ericsson noted that ArcelorMittal’s recycled steel yard management is facilitated by the extensive coverage and high throughput. Steel arriving at the site for recycling is weighed and scanned to assess its density and composition. This data is then automatically transmitted by the operators in charge of quality control from the field via 5G Steel. Operators of cranes and stackers receive the information directly from the production program and can inform about the actions taken through 5G Steel.
Future industrial use cases to be developed on ArcelorMittal’s sites include other initiatives in terms of mobility of people in work situations, autonomous rail vehicles in Dunkerque and Florange, autonomous road vehicles, the generalization of mobile maintenance with field information feedback, virtual or augmented reality and safety devices.
5G Steel is currently deployed on the ArcelorMittal sites in Dunkirk and Mardyck, in the north of France, and will be extended to other sites this year, Ericsson said.
The vendor also explained that the 5G private network covers all ArcelorMittal’s complex industrial sites, outdoors and indoors, including underneath high-rise metal structures.
5G Steel will cover the main seaport of Dunkerque and ArcelorMittal’s Digital Labs in Dunkerque and Florange, and tests are being carried out to extend the network to the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions.
“ArcelorMittal is transforming the way it works. Industry 4.0 technologies improve the reliability, operator safety and comfort, productivity, and quality in all our factories. Today, the contribution of 5G is key with these use cases,” said David Glijer, director of digital transformation at Arcelor Mittal France.
Franck Bouétard, CEO of Ericsson France, added: “The private network will allow ArcelorMittal to accelerate the digitalization 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.”
Ericsson also said that the 5G Steel network required the installation of nine radio sites with 4X4 MiMo antennas to cover the Dunkirk and Mardyck sites, one core with dynamic geographic redundancy to manage up to 50,000 user, one monitoring tool to manage and operate the 5G Steel networks as well as 19 Cradlepoint routers.
The 5G Steel project was initially announced in November 2021. The installation of the network had been completed in August 2022 while the use of the spectrum frequencies had been authorized in September.
