Telia continues to set the scene for the 5G future, launching a partner program for Swedish companies that want to explore new technologies and test business models. The first company to join is Volvo Construction Equipment (CE). The purpose of the partner program is to provide access to innovative environments with new technologies such as 5G, to implement innovation and to develop services in industries such as mining.
“We are extremely pleased that Volvo CE has joined the partner program, being the first company to do so,” says Mats Lundbäck, CTO at Telia Sweden. “Telia will contribute with our experience in mobile technology, business development and in building everything from connectivity to complete solutions. Furthermore, we have recently signed an agreement with KTH Royal Institute of Technology to build a test environment for 5G, at the KTH campus in Stockholm. This establishes a clear link with universities, and so expands our different collaborations.”
Primarily, Volvo CE will test 5G technology on its remote-controlled machines and automation equipment at the company’s research and development facilities in Eskilstuna, Sweden. The cooperation with Volvo CE shows that Telia now also focuses on the manufacturing industry when it comes to 5G.
This industry sees a great demand for low response times and high-speed data, so 5G will be an important technology for meeting the requirements. The now-deepened cooperation between Volvo CE and Telia is a continuation of an ongoing project for the mining industry, the PIMM project, where Boliden, Telia, Ericsson, Volvo CE, ABB, Wolfit, RISE SICS and LTU all contributed with cutting-edge technology and knowledge in digitalisation and automation.
“The benefits in terms of speed that 5G brings a big step forward for us,” says Patrik Lundblad, Volvo CE’s Senior Vice President of Technology. “Within our industry, there is a great potential for processing mobile data and learning how our machines can communicate and interact. Taking the lead in the digital revolution through Telia’s partner program, and developing new technology, is a game changer for Volvo CE.”
