Ericsson and China Mobile demonstrated an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) prototype on an end-to-end, stand-alone 5G network at Mobile World Congress 2019 Shanghai.
With the growing adoption of industry digitalization and improvements in industrial automation and intelligence, AGV is becoming increasingly prevalent in manufacturing, ports, and other industries. 5G networks’ powerful mobility management, seamless coverage and quality of service assurance enable them to provide the reliable communication needed for of various AGV applications, such as AGV tractors, AGV pallet movers or AGV forklifts.
The AGV prototype that China Mobile and Ericsson demonstrated at MWC Shanghai 2019 shows how AGV helps to automate product testing using a 5G network. This validates that a stand-alone 5G architecture can adequately be used for industry digitalization.
5G network slicing can help to create dedicated industrial networks based on the requirements of industrial scenarios to ensure the security and reliability of production data. Deployment the AGV application systems on edge clouds and use the forwarding plane for edge computing will divert traffic locally; meet the requirement for low latency; and ensure the effective management of industrial applications by factory.
Lu Lu, Deputy Director of the Networks and IT, China Mobile Research (CMRI)
Teaming up with Ericsson, we demonstrate the strong potential of edge computing and network slicing for the Industrial Internet, and this is a valuable experiment for industrial applications of 5G.
Zhang Guangzhuo, Deputy GM, Core Network Products, Ericsson North East Asia
As a strategic partner, Ericsson has been working closely with China Mobile to drive the development of the Industrial Internet through 5G, aiming to help in making digital transformation a reality.
