NTT taps Schneider Electric for private 5G trials

NTT has extended its long-standing partnership with Schneider Electric to offer private 5G (P5G) as a service to the manufacturing industry.

As an on-premise private network and digitalization enabler, P5G will help support critical use cases concerning equipment availability, machine performance, and product quality.

NTT’s P5G platform will reportedly undergo testing at Schneider Electric's Lexington Smart Factory in the US. The facility combines Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, edge analytics, and predictive analytics for increased energy efficiency and sustainability.

By integrating ‘machine vision’ capabilities into Schneider’s existing factory and warehouse automation systems, the companies aim to help organizations isolate the root cause of incidents in near real time. The joint solution allows for an operational integrity management model that can be scaled globally to power Industry 4.0 applications.

“With this strategic partnership, we are confident that NTT's P5G solution will support Schneider Electric business and service level objectives with a powerful machine vision solution that solves for operational continuity and performance throughout the Lexington and Lincoln plant facilities,” said Shahid Ahmed, EVP of new ventures and innovation at NTT.

“Our P5G platform brings full-stack managed services, process workflow and IoT application integration capabilities that both addresses strategic objectives towards factory high performance and net zero carbon emission goals.”

Besides private 5G services, NTT plans to deploy data centers using Schneider Electric’s technologies. Specifically, NTT will leverage Schneider Electric’s prefabricated data centers to integrate and test its edge offerings using the firm’s EcoStruxure solutions.

The prefabricated modular data centers are engineered with sustainable construction techniques to minimize environmental impact, in addition to offering 60% uptime savings over traditional data centers.

“In partnering with NTT, Schneider Electric further extends its manufacturing expertise along with data center and network solutions to drive innovations for self-contained Edge Private 5G use-cases,” said Luc Rémont, executive vice president of international operations at Schneider Electric.

“Above and beyond superior security and control offered through this partnership, wireless networks offer superior benefits over a wired network from a sustainability perspective – smaller copper cabling footprint means minimizing energy usage and aligning to our net-zero carbon goals,” Rémont added.